IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2010

Today (Thursday) has been a play day for Jerry and me, so we may be brief.  You’ve heard that before … haven’t you? :)

He played golf this morning and I drove the cart … first time for us in five years.  I still think the cart is the best part!
I noticed right away though on the driving range, even before we got to the course, that it was easy for me to lose sight of the ball in flight if  I made my initial point of focus at the tee.
If I wanted to keep up with the ball and follow it to its destination, I needed to look in the projected direction trusting that Jerry would strike the ball.
And as all this was going on, thoughts were forming, and I wondered just what spiritual lesson I could get out of that for us.
It’s not forming well other than to say if we focus too tight on our immediate  ‘tee’ we will fall short of the next ‘green’.

Now for our real lesson today.

I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Faithful and righteous — our words of focus today.

Faithful and righteous, are very important words for us when we confess our sins.

He is faithful.  He will not fail to forgive.
And why will He not fail to forgive?  Because He is righteous.
Written another way, He is RIGHT to forgive us when we repent. Right because JESUS paid the price for our sins.
And since JESUS paid the price and when we confess and accept His price, He has allowed Himself no other option than to forgive us.
He forgives us because of His own Right-ness.  He MUST forgive us.
It’s the only right thing to do.  We may feel unworthy and there are good reasons for that — we are, but He IS worthy and He is Right.
And you know what else that means?
Since He is right to forgive us, we are wrong to argue with Him about it.
We are wrong to continue to condemn ourselves after we have turned from our sin to JESUS for His forgiveness.
Let me be blunt: continuing to condemn ourselves after repentance is nothing short of P R I D E.
Who are we to tell JESUS He does not know what He is doing when He says: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.?

Did you catch it?  If we confess, He is Right to forgive us AND He even removes our un-right-ness from us and makes us right!

In Him we make par!!!

You’ll have a holy weekend. 

Father, thank You for this pleasant, relaxing day. My golf knowledge and terms are woefully lacking but I pray this lesson will be a bit entertaining and will seal in our hearts that in You, LORD JESUS, we are made right.  In You, we do not fall short.  In You, we are better than par. Thank You.

The hour is late and wisdom says rest, but before I do I pray for our IDOK Troops, for our List of Prayer Requests, for each IDOK, and for each Reader.  So many precious souls in this ministry.  I lift them all collectively and individually, bless them, Father, in Jesus’ Name.  Amen and amen.

IDOK DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2010

Matthew 8:17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.”

I’ve been reading Matthew again today – several chapters and I think I am settling in on Matthew 11 to share with you today (Thursday).

Here is a link to the chapter, certainly we will not discuss all of it.

Who of us has not had doubts about JESUS or about the ministry He has called us to or perhaps some other matters relative to our Christian walk?

John had doubts … big ones!  And he did the right thing with them — he sent his doubts clothed in questions from his dungeon to JESUS.  We would do well to send our questions from our dungeons to JESUS too.

Jesus’ reply to John is recorded in verses 4 and 5.  However, we miss a lot if we do not read on through verse 15.  John’s doubts did not put Jesus off a bit.  And John’s doubts, listen to me closely here — John’s doubts DID NOT CHANGE JESUS’ MIND ABOUT JOHN!!  And I am suggesting, no I am telling you as strongly as I know how:  YOUR DOUBTS ABOUT HIM DOES NOT CHANGE HIS MIND ABOUT YOU EITHER!!!

Even after big-time doubts and big-time screw-ups, He still loves you.  He is not sorry He saved you.  He is not sorry He called you into His family.  He is not sorry He gave you certain gifts and ministry in which to use them.

HE IS NOT DOUBTING YOU!  He knows you.  He knows He in you can yet accomplish the goals He has for you!!!

Matthew 11:11 “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!

Now bear in mind here that at the time Jesus spoke these words, John was in prison, doubting himself, doubting JESUS, and maybe feeling sorry for himself, AND yet Jesus STILL gave such praise to John as is recorded in this chapter.

And then He talks about you and me.

Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

I don’t know exactly what all that means, but this I do KNOW — even when we doubt Him, He does not doubt us!

Now if that doesn’t make you happy and give you cause to shout for joy — you better check whether or not you are even in the family!!!

Amen? Amen.

I like this Father.  I really like it! I like it LORD JESUS that I cannot change Your mind about me.  I love it that I cannot shake You up and get You worried that You made a mistake with me.  Oh, how AWESOME You are!!  And in times to come when this lesson appears on the pages of our IDOKs and Readers’ screens I want them to be encouraged.  I want them to find comfort and hope.  I want them to laugh out loud, clap their hands in praise, whatever expression that will give You praise, and will assure them that You have not changed Your mind about them and even their best days with You are still ahead, still coming to them.  And thank You that’s true for me too.  I accept that Father.  Thank You.

And now I turn my thoughts to others.  To IDOK Troops, to our List for Prayer, for Bridgette and her family, for hearts and lives whose names I am calling to You alone and there are IDOKs and Readers doing the same I think as we gather in our respective places to pray … we lift this all up to You.  We trust You to understand and know us even better than we know ourselves.  We trust You to love those we love even more than we love them. We trust You to do what is best for them, best for us.  And America and Israel come to mind too.  Cannot forget to pray for both Nations, for both to yet enter into the place You have ordained for us.  Father, I want what You want for both. Please forgive us, please have mercy on us and save us, LORD.  Please don’t let us be overtaken by Satan and those who do his bidding.  LORD, You know every soul in America who is saved and I pray not one of us will be satisfied to live beneath our destiny any longer; that we will stop doubting and start living in Your Joy, LORD JESUS, even this very day to Your glory alone. Amen and amen.

IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2010

FOR PRAYER AND PRAISE

To review the list of names for prayer, please click here.

Matthew 8 (New American Standard Bible) ¹When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him.  ²And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”  ³Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  ⁴And Jesus said to him, ” See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Like me, have you heard speculation as to why JESUS said to the Leper: “See that you tell no one;” ?  I’ve heard some say that JESUS told him to tell no one because it was not time for JESUS’ fame to spread.  And since hearing that it’s just sit there on the wall of my brain, neither being fully rejected or fully accepted.

But today I think another reason has formed and I’m way inclined toward it.

In my opinion, JESUS was not telling the leper, ‘Shhh, be quiet about what I’ve done for you’.   Rather, He was saying , ‘don’t get side-tracked now.  The first order of business for you so you can operate in this society here is for you to go straightaway to the Priest; present your offering and be declared clean according to the steps I gave Moses many, many centuries ago.  Then you will be free to move about and tell your story. Now, go make haste.’

I see a similar situation with Mary after His Resurrection found in John 20:17.   I do not for one moment think that JESUS was saying ‘Don’t touch Me, Mary.  Don’t touch Me’ like He all of a sudden had become untouchable to her.  For crying out loud – He had been her dearest Friend, she saw Him murdered and now He was alive and she was not suppose to touch Him! Get real!!!

Let me give you a KT paraphrase.  ‘Mary, you delight Me so! Your love for Me thrills Me and I understand. Right now you don’t want Me to ever be out of your sight again; but, Sweet Girl, we both have jobs to do.  I still have to go to Our Father and you have people to tell.  We will have eternity together, I promise!  But for now, you have to let Me go.  You have to let Me go see ABBA and you have to start telling the world that I’m alive.  I love you, Mary, and you don’t have to worry.  I will never leave you.  Even when you cannot physically see Me I will still be with you.  I promise.  Now go.  I’ll see you again before I leave for Heaven.  I promise.  Now go. I’ll see you soon.’

Now here’s the short version but  I am POSITIVE she understood every word!

John 20: (New American Standard Bible) ¹⁷Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'”

So what’s my point today?  I’m not sure; other than I just LIKE it! What have you gotten from it?

O, LORD, How majestic is Your Name!!  I know the TEXT does not say what my paraphrase says but I believe with all my heart You are that kind and gentle and loving and wonderful and even more so.  I would so love for You to show me that scene one day when I get to Heaven with You.  I am longing for the day when I can see You with eyes like Mary did and the Leper and all the others who loved You and love You still.  I pray You will take this ‘light’ devotion and minister it to the hearts of our IDOKs and Readers and that they will just delight themselves in You as they read.  I love You and thank You for allowing me this joy and privilege.

You know the concerns on our hearts for our IDOK Troops, for our list of Names for Prayer and other matters.  I would think that not one soul who reads this lesson would not have cares in the secret corners of their hearts that they want You to tend to and I join with them now lifting them to You for You to not only look into but make Your very own and handle as You will for them.  We love You, ABBA, in the Name of Your Son and our Savior JESUS CHRIST the RIGHTEOUS.  Amen and amen.