Meditation

03/27/2020

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of he earth will fear him.” (Psalm67:1-7)

Blessing is God’s constant action in supplying daily needs through an almost unnoticeable process. The slow but sure growth of crops is a major example of blessings, as are continued good health and availability of necessary resources for living. God promised to use His people as a source of blessing to all nations. This a missionary prayer which recognizes the principle that the ends of the of the earth will fear God when He works through those He has chosen.

When the nation has been a blessing, then it will receive blessing. Prayer involves the missionary purpose of God’s people and the daily blessings needed for survival as well as deliverance from enemies and catastrophe. The Psalm also uses a “Hebrew style” called parallelism by stating a great long that God’s ways be know to all peoples of he earth and then repeating it in a slightly different form, asking that God’s salvation be made know among all nations.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:

Precious Abba, You seek to provide for us our daily needs, not always our wants, but certainly the basic needs that we all have. You further seek to bless us for our obedience to Your will, and that we will be blessed for our being a blessing to all nations through our faith and work that is within Your will. Missionary work is always dependent upon Your help and blessing, as is our strong faith and obedience to Your Word and will. We are in desperate times in our country, Abba, and we seek Your love and care and blessing more than ever, as we must separate ourselves from the body of Christ, which is Your Church. Pour out a special anointing on all, that it becomes a time of being closer to each other and sharing our goods with each other, as never seen before. This, we ask in Jesus’ precious name. Amen

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“Salvation is free—but not until you ask for it!”

KNOWING GOD:

“As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—-when he come and prays toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever he foreigner asks of you, so that all the people of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.” (2^nd Chronicles6:32-33)

Regardless of race, color, ethnic origin, or any human difference, all people are to hear our word of witness. God loves all and wants to include in His kingdom all who will turn to Him. They will hear of God’s “great name” and be drawn to Him as we personally share Jesus Christ with them. Then we are to include them in the family of God and accept them as brothers and sisters. Personal witnessing to all is essential to vital evangelism.

I AM:

“He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believes who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, ‘Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’ So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.” (Acts10:42-48)

God gave the Roman centurion, Cornelius, a vision to prepare him and to bring Simon Peter from Joppa to share Christ. The event clearly shows that God is interested not only in geographical or numerical growth, but also in people from different racial, ethnic, and language backgrounds. Daring to reach across cultural barriers is a crucial element in expansion of he kingdom of God today, beloved. As with Peter, God often must nudge us very hard to reach out to those who are different from us.

Second Thought of the Day:

This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, member s together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Although I less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me to preach in the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” (Ephesians3:6, 8)

Paul often speaks of the “mystery” of redemption. The “mystery” is that God is calling out the Gentiles and making them hers with Israel, molding them into one body in Jesus Christ. In this way God is building the kingdom. This was seen as a mystery because neither the Jews nor Gentiles realized before Christ came all God had in store for the entirety of humanity. Therefore the mystery is revealed. All peoples can come to Christ.

In a lyric manner, Ephesians speaks in cosmic terms—-Christ as Lord of the whole universe. Equally, the letter speaks to God’s purpose for the world, of His love plan, and of His selecting of persons to be channels of His grace to the world. This wonderful cosmic work of God is a mystery. “Mystery” does not mean a continuing puzzle. It means that which was hidden but has now been revealed. The curtain has been drawn back and the wonderful treasure exposed. The mystery is that God receives persons from every race, tribe, color, and language who come to Him through Christ Jesus. It also means, that those who trust Christ become heirs together with Israel of he promises of God. Bot the Jews and the nations must come to God not though the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.