Are you praying for the peace of Jerusalem?

 28 Apr 26

Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One


Readings:

2 Samuel 19

2 Samuel 20

Luke 21:20-38


Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you (Psalm 122:6). 


Are you praying for the peace of Jerusalem?


The name Jerusalem means city of peace. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; however, the people miss the significance of the Lord being their Savior (Luke 19:28, 42). John writes, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Both people and place experience judgment as a consequence for not believing on the Messiah. 

Because the Jews didn’t receive the One who fulfilled prophecy on Palm Sunday (Daniel 9:24-25; Zechariah 9:1-9), they are the recipients of another prophecy (Luke 21:20-24). Titus, son of Emperor Vespasian, surrounded Jerusalem on April 9 in AD 70 as Jesus predicted (Luke 21:20) and several months later devastated the city. Our Lord says, “For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled” (Luke 21:22). We should pray for Jerusalem’s peace which will ultimately be established at Jesus’ Second Coming. 


Employment Point: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

————————

Reflections

“Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead.”2 Samuel‬ ‭19‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  • reading this part of the bible gives us an insight. A different perspective on things. Indeed what Joab said is right. Even though Absalom is David’s son and that David is heartbroken by his death, I believe Joab spoke much sense to David, helping him realised, that his actions don’t just affect himself alone but his nation. 
  • Yes it pains David to lose his son but because all Absalom wants is to overthrow his Father, David does not have much of a choice. The difference is the welfare of His people or his son being alive but yet being a snare to his people.


““Far be it from me!” Joab replied, “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city.” The woman said to Joab, “His head will be thrown to you from the wall.””2 Samuel‬ ‭20‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  • it truly takes wisdom to stop calamity from happening, especially when it is preventable. May the Lord also grant us such wisdom to handle challenges that come our way, so that we can preserve peace and resources of His people.


“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭21‬:‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  • the words of the Lord that goes out will never return empty. He has the power to command and change and we are all subjects to His kingdom. Believe in all that was spoken and be mindful of it.

————————-

What You Will Get

BY OSWALD CHAMBERS

April 28


Wherever you go I will let you escape with your life. — Jeremiah 45:5


The scribe Baruch was seeking much more than his life from God; he wanted great things for himself and was full of self-pity that he hadn’t gotten them. “Woe to me!” he lamented. “The Lord has added sorrow to my pain” (Jeremiah 45:3). God told Baruch to stop seeking great things for himself, highlighting the futility of earthly blessings: “For I will bring disaster on all people” (v. 5). Yet God didn’t send Baruch away empty-handed. Instead, he said, “I will let you escape with your life.”


What more do we want than life? It is the essential thing. So many of us are caught up in the show of things—not necessarily in possessions, but in blessings. Both blessings and possessions will go one day, but there is something grander that will never go: the life that is “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).


Are you prepared to let God take you into union with him? Are you prepared to stop paying attention to the things you consider “great”? To abandon entirely and let go? The test of abandonment lies in refusing to say, “But what about this?” Beware of such questions. They mean that you don’t really trust God—not enough to abandon yourself to him. The moment you truly abandon yourself to God, you no longer worry about what he is going to do. Abandonment means refusing yourself the luxury of asking questions.


The reason people are tired of life is that God hasn’t given them anything; they haven’t received their life from him. The way out is abandonment. When you do abandon yourself to him, you will be the most surprised and delighted creature on earth: God has got you absolutely and has given you your life! If you’re not in this place, it is because of either disobedience or a refusal to be simple enough.


1 Kings 3-5; Luke 20:1-26


WISDOM FROM OSWALD

“I have chosen you” (John 15:16). Keep that note of greatness in your creed. It is not that you have got God, but that He has got you. 

———————-

Reflections

The simplicity of our life in Christ Jesus lies in how much we can let go and let Him. The more we let go, the more we can experience Him personally. These two are closely related to one another.


It matters because it is all about trust. About us trusting enough in Him to say that “ok, LORD, You take over. I don’t know what is in front since everything is pitch black but I trust You enough to lead me to through it because He is the God of light and darkness cannot overcome it.”


We need to have this complete trust in Him even as we walked. Even the timed when we felt like perhaps we can try a much different route that we know of, we need to keep believing that He has our best interests and intentions and wanted us to become more like Him.


You realise the whole concept of a full surrender never really run away. From the beginning to the end, we are learning from different devotionals the importance of surrender. To fully surrender ourselves to Him so we may experience a new us. A fresh perspective, a renewed purpose. Without us giving up on our ways, we will not be able to fully understand His will and therefore bring about the new life He has called us to live.


What is keeping you to the full surrender? May we able to identify those fears and bring it back to the Lord for His mercy.


Let’s pray:


Dear Father Lord, we thank You for reminders after reminders to let go and let You. To allow You to take full control of our lives and use it fully for Your great purpose. Be it the small or big tasks, Father help us to obey Your commands and step out in courage and not fear. In Jesus’s name we ask and pray. Amen 🙏🏻 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Are you fulfilling your priestly role by holy living?

  2 Feb 26 Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One Readings: Exodus 29 Exodus 30 Matthew 22:1-22 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people (1 Peter 2:9).  Are you fulfilling your priestly role by holy living? Moses receives directives from the Lord to sanctify Aaron and his sons for the priesthood. The Lord says to Moses, “And this is what you shall do to them to hallow them for ministering to Me as priests” (Exodus 29:1). Also, God previously chose Israel as a nation to serve Him in a priestly role. “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). Whether Old Testament Israel, high priest, or a member of the church-age royal priesthood, God desires His people to separate from the moral contamination of this world’s system. Peter proclaims, “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Peter 1:15).  Employment Point:  Live acc...
Read more

How are you responding to Jesus’ hospitality as an honored guest?

  11 Feb 26 Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One Readings: Leviticus 13 Matthew 26:20-54 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me (Revelation 3:20). How are you responding to Jesus’ hospitality as an honored guest? The triclinium is used for the Passover meal. It consists of three couches. Guests would recline with their left hand supporting their head while feeding themselves with their right hand. Traditionally the two most honored guests at the feast would recline on the right and left hand of the host. John, who reclines on the Lord’s breast, sits at Jesus’ right (John 13:23) and Judas on His left. When Jesus identifies His betrayer, no one hears but Judas, who is sitting next to Him (Matthew 26:25). John repays Jesus’ invitation for eternal life and intimacy by a lifetime of service; Judas betrays Him for thirty pieces of silver. Employment Po...
Read more

He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” (John 6:5).

  16 May 26 Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One Readings: 2 Kings 15 2 Kings 16 2 Kings 17 John 6:1-21 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do (John 6:6).  He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” (John 6:5). Jesus doesn’t ask the above question to Philip because He needs an answer; our Lord knows all things. The Good Shepherd’s question has a twofold effect: It shows the inability of men to meet the needs of mankind and displays the impossibility of feeding the vast multitude. Philip should have turned to Jesus and said, “For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37). This is the first miracle the disciples participate in with the Lord. Amazingly, Jesus provides “as much [bread and fish] as they wanted” (John 6:11). The verb “they wanted” occurs in the imperfect tense, showing continual action in past time. Jesus also had “twelve baskets with the fragments” left over to feed the ...
Read more