VIDEO Fellow Servants

I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Revelation 22:9

Charles Lightoller was just drifting off to sleep on April 14, 1912, when he felt the collision of the Titanic with an iceberg. Rousing himself, he helped as many women and children as possible into lifeboats before he was swept into the icy sea. At that moment, a verse of Scripture came clearly to his mind—Psalm 91:11: “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (NIV).

Just then, a blast of hot air exploded from the belly of the ship, propelling Lightoller like a missile to the surface, where he managed to pull himself onto an overturned lifeboat. He had no doubt an angel had helped him.

Angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14), but they are also fellow servants with us. The angel told the apostle John, “I am your fellow servant” (Revelation 19:10). How incredible! Alongside angels, we are serving the Lord of hosts. There could be no higher calling!

Learning what the Bible says about angels ultimately is tied to thinking well about how God thinks about us. What God wants us to know about angels contributes to our eternal perspective. MIchael Heiser

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Abide: Come, Lord Jesus: Revelation 22:1-21

Trusting God

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7

I needed two medications urgently. One was for my mom’s allergies and the other for my niece’s eczema. Their discomfort was worsening, but the medicines were no longer available in pharmacies. Desperate and helpless, I prayed repeatedly, Lord, please help them.

Weeks later, their conditions became manageable. God seemed to be saying: “There are times when I use medicines to heal. But medicines don’t have the final say; I do. Don’t place your trust in them, but in Me.”   

In Psalm 20, King David took comfort in God’s trustworthiness. The Israelites had a powerful army, but they knew that their biggest strength came from “the name of the Lord” (v. 7). They placed their trust in God’s name—in who He is, His unchanging character, and unfailing promises. They held on to the truth that He who is sovereign and powerful over all situations would hear their prayers and deliver them from their enemies (v. 6).  

While God may use the resources of this world to help us, ultimately, victory over our problems comes from Him. Whether He gives us a resolution or the grace to endure, we can trust that He’ll be to us all that He says He is. We don’t have to be overwhelmed by our troubles, but we can face them with His hope and peace.     

By:  Karen Huang

Reflect & Pray

In your personal battles, where or in what do you place your trust? How might trusting in God’s name change the way you cope with these challenges?

Heavenly Father, give me the courage to trust in You. Help me to believe that You’re all that You promise to be.

A Kingdom-Focused Prayer Meeting

Are you praying for God’s will to be done on earth? Acts 1:11-14

Jesus talked a lot about prayer. He taught its importance not only by His words but also through His actions. At times His prayers were spoken publicly; sometimes He withdrew from the crowds to be alone with the Father. Jesus also spoke of the power of united prayer (Matthew 18:19-20).

If our church gatherings and small groups were to offer heavenly-minded petitions on a consistent basis, what would our prayer meetings be like? There would be greater focus on God and His kingdom. More of us would praise Him for who He is, express godly sorrow for our sinful ways (2 Corinthians 7:10), and speak of our gratitude for all He has done. Our voices would be lifted in praise as we witnessed people coming to the Lord, pride giving way to humility, and insensitivity being replaced by love. We’d rejoice in our glimpses of God’s work in and through our local churches. And we’d be beseeching our Father for others’ salvation and for believers’ spiritual growth.

How excited we would be to see God answer our prayers. Some of us would find it easier to testify about our Savior, others would be filled with His peace when facing trials, and still others would have the strength to stand firm. Imagine our church, filled to overflowing and becoming the “house of prayer” Jesus said we are meant to be (Matthew 21:13).

Qualities of Glory

“The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.” (Isaiah 60:13)

The temples in Jerusalem showcased Yahweh’s glory. However, those glorious temples were swept away because the Israelites abandoned their God. The Lord Jesus may have been looking directly at the last temple when He told His disciples, “Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2). His prophecy was exactly fulfilled when that temple was destroyed in AD 70. Visitors can still see the huge stones jumbled below the Temple Mount.

What qualities make an object “glorious”? Brightness and height help. In contrast, darkness and depth accompany the absence of the Lord. “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30).

The temple’s height of over 50 feet added to its glory, as did its elevation on a mount built atop a hill. One definition of glory is “celebrity” or “renown.” The exalted (high) and glorious (bright gold) temple declared the Lord’s renown. Imagine the greatness that a 1,500-foot-tall city of “pure gold, like unto clear glass” will portray (Revelation 21:18)!

Not just high and shiny qualities count. Here in Isaiah, the Lord specified woods that will “beautify” the sanctuary upon which He will stand. Until then, “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). When we know Him, He shines through us. BDT

On Winning The Lost

“Proclaim the message,

Press it home on all occasions,

Convenient or inconvenient;

Use:

Argument

Reproof, and

Appeal

With all the patience that the work of teaching requires.“(2 Timothy 4:2, 3 neb)

So wrote Paul to Timothy.

The ideal conditions for sharing the faith or plucking the fruit will rarely be there:

“Whoever watches the clouds will not plant; Whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.“(Ecclesiastes 11:4)

So:

“JUST DO IT!”

“Sow your seed in the morning and at evening let not your hands be idle,

For you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that,

Or whether both will do equally well.“(Ecclesiastes 11:6)

God has sovereignly placed you in the midst of lost people who desperately need to hear the message of Christ’s love.

From you. Today.

“Lord, open Thou my lips.”

James 3

We are generally too fond of talking, and are not always careful as to what we say; let us hear attentively what the Scriptures have to say of unholy tongues.

James 3:1

masters or teachers

James 3:1

Men are too ready to set up for teachers and censors, but if they knew the increased responsibility of the position they would prefer to be learners.

James 3:2

and this should make us slow to assume leadership

James 3:3-5

It walks through the earth, attacking the best of men, and even daring to assail heaven itself.

James 3:3-5

If it be fire from heaven it brings a Pentecost; if fire from hell it makes a Pandemonium.

James 3:6

not a nation, or a city of sin, but a whole world of evil

Stella says an unruly tongue is worse than the fire of hell, for. that torments only the wicked; but this afflicts all, both bad and good.

James 3:7, 8

God alone can subdue it, and teach it to be silent, or to speak to his glory. This lion cannot be bound even by a Samson, but the Lord can transform it to a lamb.

James 3:9, 10

Inconsistent language is monstrous. Our speech should be all of a piece, and altogether holiness unto the Lord. Is it so?

James 3:13

Holiness, meekness, and gentleness in conversation are the best signs of a really instructed mind. God alone by his Holy Spirit can give us this wisdom.

James 3:14-18

Old Thomas Adams has wittily said: “It is a singular member. God hath given man two ears; one to hear instructions of human knowledge, the other to hearken to his divine precepts. Two eyes, that with the one he might see to his own way, with the other pity and commiserate his distressed brethren. Two hands, that with the one he might work for his own living, with the other relieve his brother’s wants. Two feet, one to walk on common days to his ordinary labour, the other, on sacred days to frequent the congregation of saints. But among all, he hath given him but one tongue; which may instruct him to hear twice so much as he speaks; and to walk and work twice as much as he talks.”

Words are things of little cost,

Quickly spoken, quickly lost;

We forget them, but they stand

Witnesses at God’s right hand.

Grant us, Lord, from day to day,

Strength to watch and grace to pray;

May our lips, from sin set free,

Love to speak and sing of thee.

Thoughts on Communion

He took bread… and their eyes were opened, and they knew him. (Luke 24:30-31)

What a sweet comfort to us that our Lord Jesus Christ was once known in the breaking of the bread.

In earlier Christian times, believers called the Communion “the medicine of immortality,” and God gave them the desire to pray:

Be known to us in breaking bread,

But do not then depart;

Savior, abide with us and spread

Thy table in our heart.

Some churches have a teaching that you will find God only at their table—and that you leave God there when you leave. I am so glad that God has given us light. We may take the Presence of the table with us. We may take the Bread of life with us as we go.

Then sup with us in love divine,

Thy body and Thy blood;

That living bread and heavenly wine

Be our immortal food!

In approaching the table of our Lord, we dare not forget the cost to our elder Brother, the Man who was from heaven. He is our Savior; He is our Passover!

VIDEO Always Serving God

Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Psalm 103:20

 

From Genesis to Revelation, angels are referred to nearly three hundred times. Angel means “messenger”—and Psalm 103:20 pictures that as their primary ministry: carrying out the word of God. Their “message” to mankind might be verbal—as in Gabriel’s announcement to Mary about the birth of Jesus—or non-verbal, like the angel who shut the lions’ mouths when Daniel was thrown into their den.

There is also evidence that they minister in unseen realms, unknown to humans on earth—as in the messenger who was sent to Daniel with an answer to prayer but was opposed for three weeks in the heavenlies by an evil angel until Michael, the archangel, came to his aid (Daniel 10:10-13). What spiritual warfare might be happening in the heavenlies on our behalf at this very moment that we don’t know about? The point is that angels are the primary means and messengers for God as He carries out His plans for mankind.

Give thanks to God today for His angels, for their role in serving God and His people, and for their protection. Though unseen—mostly (Hebrews 13:2)—they are continually at work.

Angels’ function is to execute the plan of divine providence, even in earthly things. Thomas Aquinas

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Psalm 103 – Bless the LORD, O My Soul

Just a Whisper

How faint the whisper we hear of Him! Job 26:14

The whispering wall in New York City’s Grand Central Station is an acoustic oasis from the clamor of the area. This unique spot allows people to communicate quiet messages from a distance of thirty feet. When one person stands at the base of a granite archway and speaks softly into the wall, soundwaves travel up and over the curved stone to the listener on the other side.

Job heard the whisper of a message when his life was filled with noise and the tragedy of losing nearly everything (Job 1:13–19; 2:7). His friends blabbered their opinions, his own thoughts tumbled endlessly, and trouble had invaded every aspect of his existence. Still, the majesty of nature spoke softly to him about God’s divine power.

The splendor of the skies, the mystery of the earth suspended in space, and the stability of the horizon reminded Job that the world was in the palm of God’s hand (26:7–11). Even a churning sea and a rumbling atmosphere led him to say, “these are but the outer fringe of [God’s] works; how faint the whisper we hear of him!” (v. 14).

If the world’s wonders represent just a fragment of God’s capabilities, it’s clear that His power exceeds our ability to understand it. In times of brokenness, this gives us hope. God can do anything, including what He did for Job as He sustained him during suffering.

By:  Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Reflect & Pray

How does God’s great power comfort you? Which parts of nature inspire you to stand in awe of Him?

Dear God, when my problems seem big, help me to remember that You’re bigger, and nothing is impossible for You.

Heavenly-Minded Prayers

Be sure that you are asking God for what’s most important in your life and the lives of those you love Colossians 1:9-14

We belong to Jesus, and our home is not of this world. Do our prayers reflect that? The Lord wants us to talk to Him about our day and bring our personal requests, but He desires that we pray for kingdom concerns, too—prayers for others’ salvation and for the spiritual growth of His children.

Let’s look at Paul’s prayers. They were Christ-centered and kingdom-related—that people know Jesus, pattern their life after Him, and carry out God’s will. The apostle yearned for believers to be filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding and to walk in a worthy manner. He prayed that they would please the Lord, be fruitful, and increase in their knowledge of God. Finally, he asked that they be strengthened with the Spirit’s power and exhibit steadfastness and patience. Our God delights to answer such prayers because they are all part of what He desires for us.

Paul wasn’t ignoring the people’s physical and emotional needs. Rather, he knew that God’s answers to these prayers in Colossians 1 were the way believers would triumph in the situations facing them. Then they would have strength to persevere and be good witnesses during difficult times.

Take steps now to make your prayer life more heavenly-minded than earthbound. Start by praying today’s verses for yourself and people you know.