Online Journals

Rhema:

Revelation 15:
“ Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints![b]
4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
For all nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested.”

Inspect:

In the middle of the most severe judgments that mankind will ever witness comes this praise and worship. How can we praise and worship the Lord in the middle of the most horrific events of destruction, disease and devastation? I think it must come from a realization that it requires judgment on the scale of sin to totally defeat it. If not for the judgment of the Lord, sin would eventually destroy and keep on destroying every single soul on earth. However, with powerful judgment the terrible consequences of sin are made known, and through it many will realize the consequences of sin and will turn away from it and come to the Lord to be saved. Without a powerful judgment there would be a more of a chance that we could feel that there’s a chance to escape the consequences of sin. God loves us too much for that, so He allows us to see that there is no sin that can be committed that will escape the harshest of judgments.

Commit:

So I must be careful to keep on praising and worshipping the Lord in the middle of judgments. I must remember that God’s judgment is an act of love, to get me and others to repent from our sin and run to the Son that we might be saved from the horrific consequences of sin.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank for judging so strongly and so horrifically. I know that you are doing it because of your love for me and for the world. Please send me your Holy Spirit to remind me especially when I’m undergoing judgment that it is happening because of love. It will help me understand the weakness of my flesh and the awful consequences of sin that will land upon me and those around me.

In the name of the one who brings judgment that we may live, Jesus.

Amen.

Rhema:

Revelation 10: 8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”
9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.”
And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 11 And he[d] said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

Inspect:

We like to hear about the future. It is pleasurable to hear it and to imagine it, similarly to eating honey. Eating honey is a pleasant thing, it is sweet and gives us energy. Hearing about the future is a good thing as well, it satisfies our desire to know the unknown, to give us meaning for what we’ve been going through. But the future carries with it, reality as well. In Revelation, John is asked to consider the future first as honey, in hearing it, considering it, it is a sweet thing. However, there is a warning that it will turn bitter in the stomach. I believe it is bitter, because the future, like the present has it sweetness and bitterness. It is sweet because it has the potential for the positive. It is bitter because it has the potential for the negative as well.

The instruction to John was that he needs to tell the sweet and the bitter. Not only must he tell of the wonders of heaven, of how glorious it will be to spend time in eternity in the rich blessings of the Lord, but he must also tell of the judgments of the Lord, of the horrors of the curse and the hell experience.

I believe that only with the full telling of the sweet and bitter can we understand, can we be fully motivated to be obedient to the Lord and to win others to Him.

Commit:

I must not just tell the sweet, I must tell the bitter as well. I must tell of the grace and mercy of God. I must tell of the judgment and curse of sin.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you telling me about the sweet and the bitter. Please help me to tell of others of the fullness of your love, the sweetness of your mercy and grace. But also, help me to tell of the bitter judgment and curse of sin as well. Use this to motivate me to obedience. Use this to motivate me to bring others to you.

In the name of the one who brings me the sweet and the bitter, Jesus!

Amen

Rhema:

Revelation 7: 14 And I said to him, “Sir,[r] you know.”
So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.[s] And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Inspect:

Those that go through tribulation will be rewarded. They have endured persecution, hunger and all manner of suffering. God promises that He will take care of them. He will have them in His glorious and precious presence all the time. In His presence they will never hunger, never thirst and never be saddened again.

This should encourage us that God will never forget what we give up for Him.

Commit:

I must know that God will not forget what I go through. No matter what I go through, I will eventually wind up in God’s presence. At that place, God will provide all of my needs.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the encouragement of your promise. Please help me to remember that no matter what I go through, it will all be worth it when you allow me into your presence.

In the name of the one who gave up His life, that I may come before the presence of the Father, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Psalm 119: 97 Oh, how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
98 You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies;
For they are ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the ancients,
Because I keep Your precepts.

Inspect:

We need to love God’s Word, His Law. We need to be desperate for it, hungry for it. Why? Because it is a primary means of how the Lord blesses us. We need to do more than casually read it, we need to meditate on it all day. It needs to be constantly at our side. We must learn to live with it, work with it, play with it, rejoice with it, grieve with it. Every part of our lives will be enriched if we are living with God’s Word as a part of it.

God promises here that if we have God’s Word we will be wiser than our enemies. Why not? Why wouldn’t God grant us greater wisdom, after all the enemy intentionally chooses to disobey God’s Word and is forever working hard at making us disobey too. So, why wouldn’t God make us wiser than them! He will. He will do it to have victory over the enemy, to show that God’s way is wiser than the enemy’s.

God’s promise is that if we think about God’s Word and its application into the world, we will gain more understanding that all of our teachers. Again, stepping back this makes so much sense. As we read, and think on God’s Word, it is his knowledge and understanding that comes directly to us. This gives us the full potential to gain more knowledge through God than through any human teacher.

In the same way we can gain more understanding and experience than all the ancient men of old. As knowledgeable and understanding as these ancient ones are, they are limited compared to our infinite God. So as we endeavor to obey God’s Laws, the Holy Spirit will help us to gain understanding to overcome any obstacle that keeps us from being in obedience. This struggle will build our understanding beyond what anyone else can give us.

Commit:

I must commit to meditating on God’s Word all day long, throughout everything I do. I must believe that God will bless me with understanding and experience far above any teacher or ancient if I do so. His Word gives me access the infinite knowledge and wisdom of Almighty God. I must have it constantly in my heart, mind and spirit as I walk through the day.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for this awesome command and promise. Through the love of your Word, I, along with others can access your infinite knowledge and power. Any one of us, there is no privileged or unprivileged, all we have to do is to meditate on and apply your Word throughout every single action in our lives. Help me with your Holy Spirit to be desperate for your Word.

In the name of the one who is the living Word, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

John 14: 5 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

Inspect:

When Jesus was physically with the disciples, they were fortunate that they had Jesus constantly available to them to teach, correct and lead them. When Jesus left, our Heavenly Father sent us the Holy Spirit in the Jesus’ name. His assignment will be teach us in everything, and also to bring back into our memories the word that Jesus spoke. This is so wonderful, because this is what we need, someone who can teach us what we need to do to please the Lord and to be successful in everything we do. We need someone to constantly remind us the life-giving words of Jesus.

Commit:

I must seek to be filled constantly with the Holy Spirit. I must listen carefully to His teachings. I must be attentive to Him bringing the words of Jesus back to me.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Please help me to be sensitive to Him. Please don’t let me grieve Him. Open my spiritual ears that I might hear all the teachings that He has. Open my mind, that He may bring to my memory the words of the Lord Jesus.

In the name of the one who has asked the Father to send us the Holy Spirit, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

John 10: 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

Inspect:

Jesus never asked us to do anything He has not or would not do. Similarly I believe, Jesus would not do anything that we should not do. After all, He expects our disciples to model their lives after us, so He must know that we would model our lives after His.

Here Jesus describe the good shepherd as one who would sacrifice his life for the sheep. This pleases the Father, because this is what God sent His son to do, which is to lay down His life that we may have life. It is clear here that God did not force Jesus to sacrifice His life, but Jesus did it willingly. I believe it is the same for us as well, God or Jesus will not force us to sacrifice our lives for others, we must offer it voluntarily.

But like Jesus, if we lay down our lives voluntarily, then God will restore our lives abundantly. Conversely, if we don’t lay down our lives voluntarily, than the Lord will not reward us abundantly, why not? If we don’t give our lives for others, than what use is the blessing? No God will generously reward those that sacrifice for others, because God knows that when He blesses these folks, they will take what they’re given and pass it on sacrificially for others.

Commit:

I must be like Jesus the good shepherd. I must sacrifice my life for others. I must give up my finances, my time and my skills to bless others. I must trust the Lord that He will give me back many times over, what I give to others. I don’t have to worry about my needs, because God will.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how Jesus sacrificed for others. He had so much love for you, and for us that he voluntarily put down His life. You did not force Him, you did not compel Him, He has done it voluntarily. Please help me to do the same. Please send me your Holy Spirit to help me to sacrifice myself for others. Don’t let me do it for the reward, but because of gratitude for what you have done for me and in submission to your authority.

In the name of the one who laid down all that He had for me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

John 3: 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Inspect:

If Jesus didn’t come into the world to condemn it, than none of us has the authority and the right to as well. If Jesus came into the world to save, the we need to as well. To save we have the authority and the right. Our authority comes from our Heavenly Father. Our right, through our re-birth, as Jesus has in His heart to save everyone, we must as well. As Jesus sacrificed Himself to save others, we must also.

We need to get this right, because so often the world has it backwards. The world thinks we’re here to condemn them, rather than saving them. The world thinks we’re here to curse them instead of blessing them. We need to make sure we’re doing the right thing in order not to give them the wrong impression. Does our speech or behavior convey condemnation vs. salvation? Does our attitude convey a curse rather than a blessing?

Got to take a checkpoint here?

Commit:

I need to really allow the Holy Spirit to examine me to be sure that there is no condemnation within toward the people of the world. I must be as Jesus to be willing to give up everything so that others are save. I must be like Jesus to bring blessings upon the people rather than a curse.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for this checkpoint. I pray that you have the Holy Spirit stop me every time thoughts and deeds of condemnation are about to come out of me. Transform my spirit, mind and heart instead to be like your Son, to be a blessing rather than a curse.

In the name of the one who did not come to condemn me but save me, not to curse me, but to bless me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

2 Peter 1: 5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Inspect:

My rhema verses are:

10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The command here is that we need to make our call and election sure. This sounds so exotic, but I think it simply means that we are all called to move being sinners into sons and daughters of God. And for the “election,” all that means is that we have responded to the call and have elected to submit our lives to the Lord, by which we are “elected” to promote into God’s family. Simple. It is not a call and election for special people, and exclusive club, or into ministry, this is for everyone. So this command is for everyone.

The promise here is that we must do these things otherwise we will stumble. We must diligent, faithful, virtuous, knowledgeable, self-controlled, persevering, godly, kind and loving. When do these things we will be able to go through life without stumbling. We will be able to walk into the very kingdom of God.

Hard to do. Yes. Possible to do, absolutely? By ourselves, never. With God’s help, always!

Commit:

I must reaffirm my calling and election with my every decision, with my every thought, with my every action. If I find myself stumbling, I better check that I’m not doing any of these things I’m not supposed to do, or not doing the things that I should be doing.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father I thank you for reminding how I must keep reminding myself about my call and election. Help me to remember my call in that you called everyone to yourself. Help me to remember my election, that I chose to submit to you. Help me to do what I should be doing to maintain this call and election by guarding my thoughts and my actions. I don’t want to stumble. I want to walk into your kingdom.

In the name of the one who called me and accepted my election, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

1 Peter 5: 1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly,[ac] not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

Inspect:

I think this instruction applies to our discipleship of others, something that we are all called to do. It comes from Peter who establishes his credibility as an experienced leader and someone who has personally seen what Christ sacrificed to mentor us. To encourage us i.e. is there value beyond growing a brother’s spiritual maturity? Yes, God will justly reward us for our obedience and sacrifice.

We are to shepherd those not as overseers, but as shepherds. Shepherds who love their sheep, who feed, care and protect them. We don’t do it with the motivation of a hired hand, but willingly because we have been shepherded by the Lord himself. We are to do so with pure motives, not doing it for our advantage but with genuine desire to grow those that God has entrusted to us. We are not to tell them what to do, we are to show them what to do, by being an example. We do it the way Jesus continues to shepherd us. We can’t do any better than Him, so let’s do it His way.

Commit:

This is the way that I must disciple. I must lead by example, rather than by command. I must always have pure motives to think of others first, never putting my interests before theirs. I must do it sincerely, willingly in love and gratitude for how the Lord has shepherded me.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how I need to lead others. Please give me a humble heart to do it your way. Help me to shepherd and boss around. Help me to show and not tell. Please let your Holy Spirit guide me to do it the way your Son did it.

In the name of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

James 3: 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Inspect:

God’s wisdom Is unlike the world’s wisdom. God’s wisdom is:

- Pure – God’s wisdom is pure, it has no ulterior motives.
- Peaceable – God’s wisdom doesn’t seek contention, it seeks to reconcile to make peace.
- Gentle – God’s wisdom is gentle, it doesn’t seek to overwhelm or overpower.
- Willing to Yield – God’s wisdom doesn’t force its own way, it is willing to yield.
- Full of Mercy – God’s wisdom is merciful, it is compassionate, giving what is not deserved.
- Good Fruits – God’s wisdom results in blessings for others.
- Without Partiality – God’s wisdom does not favor one over another.
- Without Hypocrisy – God’s wisdom is always the same, no matter what the situation.

The blessings of righteousness comes about when we act to bring about peace in a peaceful way.

God’s way is to seek harmony and purity.

Commit:

I need to change. I need to stop challenging and instead bring peace. God’s way is to bless through peace, rather than through conflict.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I think you for showing me your way. I do realize that your way is the best way, after all my way doesn’t work. Please help me to be pure, to be peaceable, to be gentle, to be yielding, to be merciful, to be fruitful, to without partiality and without hypocrisy. Help me to seek peace and not contention. Help me to realize that your way of righteousness is through peace.

In the name of the one who came to bring peace to me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Hebrews 12: 1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Inspect:

We are surrounded by witnesses, we are not alone. These witnesses watch our lives, and based on what they see, they may move closer or farther to the Lord. I think this means that we owe it not only to ourselves, but to those around us to do things right.

- We are to lay aside very weight. We need to put aside everything that will slow us down, that won’t help us accomplish the goals that God sets for us.
- We need to set aside sin. Sins will trap us, slow us down and even stop us.
- We need to run the race with endurance. I think this means that we run to finish. We do what it takes to finish. Not just to start or to participate, we run to finish.
- We run the race that is set before us. We don’t make our race, we run the race that God sets before us. He designed the course, knowing exactly what the best for us is.
- We need to trust that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. As author He births our faith and as finisher He nurtures our faith and will bring it to its full potential if we stay on His course.
- He has shown us to He will do it, because Jesus never puts us through something that He has not gone through Himself. He sacrificed Himself on the cross, He put up with the shame, because He knew at the end His obedience would be rewarded with the joy of being in the Father’s presence, in the place of honor.

I believe we must do the same as Christ did. For the sake of others, we are to focus on running the race that Christ has set before us. We are to run it to the finish, trusting that as Jesus as started us of, He will take us to the finish as well.

Commit:

I must do as Jesus did. He knew the path to the Father, was through the obedience of running the face as He sets it out. I must avoid any distractions and keep sin from stopping me. I must be confident that Jesus will start me and take me all the way to the end. As He endured pain and shame, He will help me to do so as well.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for helping me to understand what I need to do to finish the race. Help me to remember that at the end of the race is you, to be in your presence is my ultimate goal and award. Please send me your Holy Spirit to show me those weights and sins that I need to get rid of, so that I might focus on you. Please help me to submit myself to your will, to run the race that you have set before me and not one of my own choosing. Help me to run the to finish, give me the persistence and endurance that I need. Help me to sacrifice as you have. Help me to endure the shame as Jesus did.

In the name of the one who shows me how to get into the presence of the Father, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Hebrew 9: 11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come,[a] with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Inspect:

In the Old Testament, the High Priest and only the High Priest went in to the Holy of Holies once a year to minister on behalf of the people. The High Priest had to go into the place under the covering of sacrifice, that was the price of admission. When Christ became our High Priest, He went to the ultimate Holy of Holies, and that is heaven. He also had to offer a sacrifice for the price of admission. And because this was the true Holy of Holies, the ultimate price was His own life. Jesus gave up His life, so that He could enter in and minister on our behalf.

I believe that we need to do the same as Christ did. We also need to be willing to sacrifice so that we can minister on the behalf of others. We cannot use another sacrifice, a substitute, we must do as Jesus did and sacrifice ourselves for others. We must give up our will, our plan, our desire so that we can pay the price of admission to enter in. Once we’re there, we can minister on behalf of others. We can intercede for the needs of the people, and we can bring back the love of the Lord to bless them.

There is no substitute for the sacrifice of our lives.

Commit:

I need to pray the price of admission. I need to sacrifice myself. Yes, my life is not good enough for my salvation, only the sacrifice of perfection was able to do this, only Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself could win my salvation. However, I believe that in order to minister on the behalf of others, I need to sacrifice myself. Otherwise, I will get in the way. My service is will be for them, from the Lord, there is no room for me.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me what it really means to be a true high priest. Please help me to do as your Son has done. Jesus has sacrificed Himself, so that He may sit with you to intercede for me and to bring your love down to bless me. Please send me your Holy Spirit so that I can do the same. Take my will, my ego, my desire out of the way.

In the name of who died to become my High Priest, Jesus!

Amen

Rhema:

Hebrews 6: 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of[e] love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Inspect:

What a great promise and what a great command!

God is a just God. As He must punish sin, He must also reward obedience. The Lord who sees everything, will not only take note of our sins, until they are forgiven, will also see our obedience until rewarded. We need to minister to those that love the Lord. We need to minister.

It is God’s desire to that we show diligence. We need to work hard all the way to the end. We must not become sluggish, or slow in our work. We need to follow the example of those who inherit the promise of God through faith and patience. They worked tirelessly. They worked urgently.

Commit:

I must be patient that the Lord will not forget my work and labor. That is the patience that the heroes of old showed. They ministered to the saints and to all, I must minister to the saints and to all. They were diligent to the end. The persevered and powered through all the way to end, and so must I. They were not sluggish, they went for it and so must I.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, this is so good, thank you! Please help me to live this Word. Help me not to look for your reward, instead let me trust that you will never forget. Now please send me your Holy Spirit, because I do want to be diligent all the way to the end. Please send me the Holy Spirit, I do not want to be sluggish. Help me to minister to the saints. Help me to minister.

In the name of the one will not forget what I do, and will help me to be diligent and not sluggish, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

2 Timothy 1: 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

Inspect:

We need to remember that God calls us according to his purpose and grace, and not through our efforts and abilities. We can take no credit for salvation, because we don’t have the “coin” to purchase it. The only “coin” that can purchase salvation is a sinless life, and none of us has that coin in our pocket.

We also have to know that our calling or our assignments is through God’s purpose and not our own. Our knowledge and wisdom is so limited compared to the Lord. His purpose is based on His perspective which is eternal and all encompassing. He knows the ultimate consequence of our actions. He knows the inter-dependencies of our actions. So we need to defer to His purpose.

Commit:

I must defer to God’s grace and purpose. Without His grace there would be no salvation for me. I could never save myself. Without His purpose, I will never achieve the potential that God has designed me for. I must submit to His grace and purpose, if I am to be saved and to grow into the servant He desires for me to be.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your cleansing and correcting Word. Your grace humbles me. I cannot save myself. You must save me. Please send your Holy Spirit to help to remain in grace, rather than trying to do it on my own. Help me to submit to your purpose rather than my own. I want your salvation, I want your purpose.

In the name of the one who’s grace has saved me, who’s purpose will grow me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

1 Timothy 4: 12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit,[g] in faith, in purity.

Inspect:

We understand that Timothy was a very young, perhaps just out of his teen years and yet pasturing a church that numbered in the tens of thousands. This gives the context on Paul’s letter to Timothy whom he was mentoring. Timothy could have times of doubt and maybe even of intimidation as someone so young and perhaps lacking in experiencing having the spiritual responsibility over tens of thousands of people.

So Paul is encouraging and instructing young Timothy. Paul tells Timothy to not be put down, to not feel despised by people looking at his age. I believe the important lesson here is that it was Timothy who needed to guard his own heart. Paul didn’t write this church to pay attention to Timothy and give him the respect is due a pastor, instead Paul tells Timothy that he must feel despised. We are in charge of our reactions to people. We cannot control how other people treat us, but we can control how we respond to their behavior or lack of it.

Paul then tells Timothy that he must lead by example, not just teaching it, but showing it. Timothy needs to lead others through how he speaks, how he behaves, how he expresses his love towards others, in his spirit, in his faith and in his purity.

- Words – our words express what is inside of us. We need to guard our speech.
- Conduct – our behavior must always be righteous, avoiding appearance of evil.
- Love – God is love, and if we are of God, we need to love like God.
- Spirit – Our spirit must reflect our Baptism of the Holy Spirit, is our spirit immersed in the Holy Spirit.
- Faith – Are we demonstrating our faith in our actions.
- Purity – God is pure, are we pure in our behavior?

I believe Paul is telling Timothy is to not worry about what people think of his youth, rather live a life that shows obedience to God, if you do that people will follow.

Commit:

I must do this. I must not worry about what people think of abilities, that is under my control. I must instead strive to live a life that is an example to them. I must strive to be like Christ in my walk and talk.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for allowing me to hear the conversation between Paul and Timothy, a spiritual father and his spiritual son. Please help me to follow this teaching. Help me to guard my heart and not be discouraged by what other people think of me. Please help me to walk and talk like Christ, to have His love and spirit. Fill with your Holy Spirit so that my faith becomes strong and remain pure.

In the name of the one who shows me how to lead and live, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Colossians 4: 2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

Inspect:

We are to continue in prayer. We must not stop. In fact we are commanded to continue earnestly. Earnestly means we must be focused, thoughtful and determined in our prayer. We are not to just go through the motions. We are to be vigilant. Vigilance means to be watchful, to be attentive, to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and voice of the Lord. We must not just go through the motions. We must pray with thanksgiving. We must have a heart of gratitude, understanding that whatever we have is a result of a caring, loving, all-wise and powerful God.

Commit:

I must continue to pray, but I must not just go through the motions. I must do it earnestly. I must be vigilant. I must do it with thanksgiving.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me the kind of prayer that pleases you. Please help me to pray continuously, earnestly, vigilantly with thanksgiving. Send your Holy Spirit to guide my prayer, to speak clearly to me.

In the name of the one who showed us how to pray continuously, earnestly, vigilantly and with thanksgiving, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Phillipians 1: 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Inspect:

This is the character that God wants us to have.

We are to grow in love. I don’t think that being first is an accident. Love should be our top priority.

We then need to add knowledge and discernment. We need knowledge in order to know how to do things. We need to discernment to have wisdom in dealing with people. With knowledge and discernment, we will be able to do things with excellence without sinning ourselves or causing others to sin. We will be able to reap the results of righteous behavior. And as we do we will make God famous.

We cannot just purse love, because we will not be able to execute. We cannot just pursue knowledge and discernment, otherwise we would leave people behind and carelessness is a sin.

Commit:

I must purse love as first priority. I then must purse the acquisition of knowledge so that I may do the right things. Then I must purse discernment so that I may do the things the right way. Only then can I make God famous.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for being so clear and straightforward in showing me how to do things with excellence and love. Please help me to love others. Please give me supernatural knowledge. Please give me supernatural discernment. Help me to have the right motive which is to make you famous.

In the name of the one who is love, who knows all things and discerns all things, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Ephesians 6: 5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

Inspect:

We are commanded here not just to be obedient to spiritual leaders but to our secular leaders as well. We must obey them as we do the Lord with fear and trembling. Why? We are to obey the Lord with fear and trembling, and He asks us to do the same with those that He has put over us. Because as we treat those that He puts over us, is the way we treat the Lord. So we must do it sincerely, with all of our heart. We must keep in mind that the Lord because He is righteous and just will honor good service no matter who we are.

Inspect:

I must keep this in mind. I must do everything as to the Lord. It doesn’t matter who I do it for. I must fear and tremble regarding the Lord’s judgment, should I do things insincerely or without passion.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for telling me what I would need to do to receive your honor and avoid your judgment. Please help me to do things always with full sincerity, with full passion. Help me to see past who I am doing it for, but to remember that I am ultimately doing it for you.

In the name of the one who sincerely obeyed with all of His heart, Jesus!

Amen

Rhema:

Ephesians 4: 1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you[g] all.

Inspect:

It’s about unity. Paul starts off this portion of scripture describing himself as a prisoner. What is a prisoner? A prisoner is someone that had their freedom taken away from them, someone else determines the path of their lives. Paul is telling us that he has given up his rights, his will over to the Lord. Paul then tells us how we should deal with each other. When we offend each other, we need to bear it. We don’t do it like the world does it, in a condescending person, bearing with the other’s wrong by placing ourselves in a position of superiority. Rather, we are to do with humility. We must think of the other person as better than ourselves. We must be gentle, not being harsh, even though we may feel that person deserves it. We must be patient. The goal is to preserve unity and peace.

The Heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit all demonstrate this unity. There are one. So it would make sense that when we become sons and daughters of God, we should be no different, we should have the same unity as well. We are distinct, and separate, but have the unity of purpose, of one spirit, one heart and one mind.

Commit:

I must try to be at peace and unity with everyone. First with my family, them my church, then my community and work place. I must seek peace and unity and not disruption and contention.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I ask that you help me in this. My heart and mind often seek individuality and recognition rather than peace and unity. Please send your Holy Spirit and transform me. As You are at peace and unity with the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit, help me to be the same, at one with you all.

In the name of the one who brought Himself down that I may come in peace and unity with Him, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Romans 16: 19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

Inspect:

We become the things we pursue. If we pursue strength, we become strong. If we purse weakness, we become weak. Here God instructs us to pursue the things that make for peace and the things that would edify or strengthen another.

Instead of striving to differentiate and put down, we should be striving for unity, for those things that bring peace. The early church was differentiated from other groups because of the love they showed each other, in this context, I believe they looked for things that made peace with each other. This probably contrasted with other groups where the members sought to meet their own needs above others. This eventually leads to un-peaceful behavior.

The same goes to edifying or strengthening another. God’s way is to do things to lift up another vs. the world’s way which is put another down. The world’s way is to rise up by pushing down. God’s way is to bring others up, and God will lift you up because of your obedience.

The world’s way cannot win because putting others down, will lead to the removal of peace, which then requires one to think about self to survive. This spins all the way down till the group and the individual is destroyed. God’s way on the other hand would look for ways to be peaceful with each other. This leads to thinking ways to build each other up, which leads to more peace, which leads to more building. The group and the individual grow stronger and stronger.

Commit:

I must do things God’s way. I must look to for ways to make peace, vs. ways to further my own agendas. I must look to building others up, instead of myself. I must trust that God’s way is better for me.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me a better way. Please help me through the leading of your Holy Spirit to look for ways of peace. Help me to look for ways to build each other up. Then give me the will, the power, the opportunity to do so.

In the name of the one who has made peace with me, and has brought Himself so that I might be lifted up, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Romans 12: 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Inspect:

At first reading, my reaction, is that of course, this is a good thing to do, especially because God commands it. However, I also realize that Jesus did this Himself as well. God never asks us to do anything that he would not do Himself.

- Bless those who persecute you. Jesus ask the Father to forgive those that just tortured Him and nailed Him to the cross. We must do the same, we must pray and bring blessing those that try to pull us down.
- Bless and do not curse. Jesus could have cursed those that hurt Him, just as He cursed that fruitless fig tree. The tree died, they would have as well. Instead Jesus prayed for them, for their forgiveness and eternal life in heaven if they wanted it. Imagine that not an eternal curse, but an eternal blessing.
- Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Jesus cried with those who cried over the death of Lazarus. Jesus celebrated with those that partied at the wedding in Cana. We need to be in synch with those around us, sensitive to what is going on, as Jesus was.
- Be of the same mind toward one another. Jesus was of the same mind with everyone but those that religious officials that tried to pull others down. But with all others, Jesus sincerely loved them and was in the same mind toward them. With the Samaritan Woman at the well, Jesus knew where her mind was, went there and brought her to salvation. What a difference from how some of us choose to relate, that is to find differences.
- Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Jesus definitely hung with the poor, with the sinners. We must as well. We must not choose to treat anyone differently from anyone else.
- Do not be wise in your opinion. Jesus never flaunted His wisdom, which He definitely could if He chose to. Instead He treated everyone as better than Himself. We must do the same.

Commit:

I must do as the Lord Jesus has done. If He does it, so must I.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you showing me that your own Son did the same as You asked us to do. Please help me, I can’t do this on my own. Please transform my heart from what it is, to be like that of your Son. Help me to treat others as You have. Help me to have a humble spirit as Your Son has.

In the name of the one who shows me how I should live, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Romans 8: 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Inspect:

This is encouragement that we need all hang onto. We are more than conquerors, not because of our abilities or circumstances, but because of God who loves us. It isn’t us, it isn’t chance, it is all God, it is His love that promotes us. There is nothing that can stand against the all powerful God, who loves us more than anything. Death and life are under His control. The scripture elegantly describes, that there is absolutely nothing that can come between us and God.

How should this affect our behavior? It means that I should not rely on myself or chance to prevail, it is God and only God. It means that I should not be discouraged into doubt by anything that is around me would prevent God from loving on me. There is nothing that will prevent God from doing the best for me.

Commit:

I must do two things. First I must focus only on that thing that will make me conqueror and nothing else. It is God who will cause me to win, nothing else. So I must not look at circumstance, nor myself, its God and only God. Second I must not focus on obstacles that could prevent God from expressing His love for me. Why, there is nothing that can prevent God from doing what He wills. What may seem like a barrier, is only an illusion and untruth, why focus on illusion and untruth?

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for your love for me. Help me to focus on you, to know that you are the one to bring me victory. Help me with your Holy Spirit to know that in your time, you will give me victory. Please help me to not focus on obstacles, because when I focus on obstacles, doubt will arise. Let me focus on Your love for me. That is the real thing that matters. The barriers could be real or imagined, but it doesn’t matter, because they are ineffective in preventing you from blessing me.

In the name of the one will give me victory, no matter what! Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Romans 2: 1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?

Inspect:

There is no clearer, no stronger warning against judging another person. We wind up judging those that have the same weaknesses as we do. We bring judgment on ourselves because, by judging we place ourselves higher than them, which is a deception and a violation. We sin. We bring it on ourselves. God’s judgment will come, because He is a just God.

So what is our solution? Don’t judge anyone. Think of them as better than yourself.

Commit:

I need to do this. I must not judge anybody. I must think of others as better than me. If not, I’m going to be judged. I must fear the Lord.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for reminding me about judgment. Please send your Holy Spirit to remind me to see others as you see them. Remind me to see, to really believe that others are better than I. You did it, otherwise You would not have given me Your Son.

In the name of the one who does not even judge me, Jesus!

Amen.