Order in the Court!

By: Missey Butler, cbn.com

We’ve all witnessed the scene many times: An irate judge slams down his wooden gavel and with a voice of fiery indignation shouts, “Order in the court! Order in the court!”

That appointed judge carries within his title the power and authority vested to him by the office that he holds. Therefore, all subjects who might attempt to challenge that authority are quickly reprimanded by a possible charge of contempt.

So it is with our Divine Judge. Our God is a God of perfect order, and there is nothing that He does that is contrary to His perfect will for us individually or for us as a nation.

In this decisive hour, a trumpet is being sounded; a voice of urgency is moving swiftly across our land. Those who have ears to hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying are uniting together in one accord. Like good soldiers of the cross, Christians are falling in line, standing at attention, ready to receive instruction from their company Commander. More and more, a rallying force of believers is coming together with united hearts and like minds, fervently praying for God’s mantle of righteousness to again be restored to our judiciary.

The Great Judge of the universe is about to lower His gavel and bring forth this mandate: “There will be… ORDER IN THE COURT!”

As a nation we pray that His righteous standard will be held high, fixed and immovable within our judicial system. We pray that the cry for godly justices will be heard loudly within the chambers of the highest court in our land, and that a spirit of the fear of the Lord will settle upon the hearts of those dignitaries who even now serve on the Supreme Court. We pray that the balance of powers will once again shift into their rightful positions and be forever maintained by HIS divine scales of justice—and His alone!

We as a nation are blessed and privileged to live within the boundary of our shores as a free democracy. But many times, because of that democratic mindset, we lose sight of the fact that we, who are called by His name, are subject to the dictates of the King and His Kingdom. Thereby, we as a governing body are to submit ourselves to His rule and not to our own set of laws. The Scriptures remind us, “But it is God who judges: He brings one down, and exalts another (Psalm 75:7). The structural foundation of the Kingdom is one of perfect rank and perfect order. That is why we must humble ourselves and submit our lives, our nation, and our judges to the rule and reign of His Lordship. We can confidently rest in the knowledge and the assurance that by His authority, He will bring about His righteous sentencing.

The Lord says: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies. Your troops will be willing on your day of battle (Psalm 110:1-3).

Looking for God?

By:  Martha Noebel, cbn.com

As I do each year, after the New Year rolled around, I looked to see what would be said in the Christian world about the upcoming year. I expected to hear preachers reminding us that we are in the “Last Days.” I looked at various Web sites for articles about “The End Times” and how it related to the year and found nothing. It was rather quiet, a scary kind of quiet. Nothing was being said to make me feel that anyone was thinking about the Lord’s return.

We are told in Scripture that the Lord is going to come again for those who are looking for Him. 2 Timothy 4:8 states that He is coming for all who love His appearing.

“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh.” (Matthew 24:44 KJV)

Have we stopped looking for the Lord’s return? Have we forgotten how important it is to live a life pleasing unto God? Have we forgotten how necessary it is to tell as many people as we can about the love of God and their need to know Him? It’s important to stay focused on God. We should not be so caught up with the things of this world that we forget what really matters.

“The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” (Romans 13:12-14 NLT)

In our churches, we are finding those who only want a bless me sermon taught to them. How can I be blessed? It’s the all-about-me mentality and it’s seemingly permeating those in Christian circles today. But it’s not about us; it is about God. 2 Timothy 4:3-5 (NLT) gives us clear instructions:

“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.”

I guess my Pentecostal background is driving me to want to be reminded of the Lord’s soon return. I don’t ever want to forget that we must be anxiously looking for His appearing. I want to live a life pleasing to the Lord and be ready when He comes. I want to be busy making sure that everyone who wants to know God loves them, has the chance to find out. God loves us so much.

“Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:15-16 NLT)

Let’s be aware of His soon return. Let us be watching and waiting as we live our lives, we want to be ready.

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:5-6 NIV)

God Provides

By: Nina Keegan, cbn.con

I was barely high enough to peer over the shiny, yellow, laminate countertops in my grandmother’s immaculate kitchen, but it was homemade-noodle making day, and I was overjoyed as I took my rightful place next to her on a worn, red, metal foot stool.

“Always make sure the eggs are at room temperature,” she reminded me as we took turns cracking them into the bright blue earthenware bowl.

The smells of the wonderfully cooked Italian food, glorious food, lovingly prepared by my tiny grandmother in her homespun kitchen are still unmatched today, and those memories remain some of my most cherished!

Being from a large Italian family, all of my favorite and important memories involve food. Banquets and feasts were the centerpiece of every holiday, birthday, and simple Sundays. My grandmother wanted to feed everyone. She loved people with food. Making others happy with food gave her joy. She would bring food to all her friends, cook for those who were sick or just in need of a little TLC. She was always prepared. To her, it was a crime to not have a freezer full of “just in case” lasagnas, and canolis for company!

I believe this is a “no getting around it” inherited trait of just being Italian, at least in my family. I too live to feed everybody and everything. The ducks on the lake outside my home know that all too well.

To me, there would be no worse feeling than to not be able to provide food for my family or being unable to feed my children.

I thought about the children of Israel. While they were endlessly wandering in the wilderness, they needed to fully rely on God to provide food (manna) for them each day. They were not allowed to take any more than a single day’s portion, and if they did, it would rot immediately. There would be no “just in case” food, no “what if God forgets to send it tomorrow” food! They had to have blind faith in what they did not see and wholeheartedly trust they would be able to go out each day and collect fresh food for their children. They had to believe a new day’s supply would be sent to nourish them by God from Heaven.

They had to trust that God would provide!

In Mark 10:36, Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

God is so simple in His love for us. He just wants us to trust him. He asks us to tell him what we need. He says we have not, because we ask not.

By commanding the Israelites to not collect any more food than they needed for one day, God was asking them to totally rely on His merciful grace—the grace that can only come from Him. His grace is sufficient to take care of all we need on any given day.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV), the Lord told Paul,

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” And Paul’s response was to “boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Sometimes we look ahead—and the mountains we face and the trials and storms that engulf us, seem overwhelmingly impossible to manage. But then God shows up again with a daily helping of His amazing grace and a fresh batch of heavenly manna and says, “Trust me, we will get through this together today, I will be back tomorrow and we will handle tomorrow then.”

When we are weak, He is strong!

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Matthew 6:25 (NIV)

Focus on Reconciliation, Not Resolution

By Rick Warren

“There is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5 NIV).

When you have conflict in your life, focus on reconciliation, not resolution. There’s a big difference in those two words. Reconciliation means re-establishing the relationship. Resolution means resolving every issue.

Resolution probably isn’t going to happen, because you’re never going to agree on some things. Nobody on this planet agrees with you about everything, so you’re never going to have resolution on all your issues.

Can you have a loving relationship without agreeing on everything? Of course you can. If you learn to disagree without being disagreeable, that’s called wisdom. If you learn to walk hand in hand without having to see eye to eye, that’s called wisdom.

One of the greatest things you can do with your life is be a bridge builder, not a wall builder. You are most like Jesus Christ when you are reconciling people. You are most like Jesus when you’re building bridges, not walls. That’s exactly what Jesus came to do! He’s the great reconciler. God sent Jesus to Earth to reconcile us because we are in conflict with God.

But you cannot make peace with other people until you make peace with God. And maybe that’s part of the problem — you’re not at peace with yourself because you’re not at peace with God. First you’ve got to make peace with God. Then you get the peace of God.

That’s the starting point: You need to get peace in your heart by letting the Prince of Peace inside.

Would you pray this to God in your heart? “God, you know the conflict in my life. I’m tired of it, and I want to make peace. I want to have your peace in my life so I can offer peace to others. So I accept your peace today. I open my life to you as best as I know how. Fill my life with love, not anger, and with patience, joy, and peace. Come in and fill every area of my life with your peace, and help me to be a bridge builder and not a wall builder. Help me to take the initiative and not wait on that other person. Help me to find the right time and place, and then help me to have the courage to confess my part of the conflict and to be humble. Instead of attacking the person, help me attack the problem. Help me to consider the other person’s perspective. Help me to speak the truth, fix the problem and not the blame, and to focus on reconciliation instead of resolving all the disagreements. I ask this in your name. Amen.”

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

From: crosswalk.com

Weekly Overview:

Jesus loved to use stories to illustrate profound, life-transforming concepts. He loved to use real and genuine settings, characters, and ideas that apply to all of us to reveal God’s heart of pursuit and love. This week we’re going to spend time allowing the parables of Jesus to speak directly to our situations, mindsets, and core beliefs about who God is. Open your heart and mind to be transformed by the powerful and captivating stories of Jesus.

Scripture:“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’” Luke 15:21-24

Devotional:    

There isn’t a single passage of Scripture that better illustrates the heart of our heavenly Father than the parable of the prodigal son. So as to not miss any of the details of this life-changing passage, open your heart to the Spirit as you read it in its entirety.

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found’” (Luke 15:11-32).

The life-changing core of the gospel is that when we feel far from God, he is never far from us. The moment we turn back toward him, he runs out to meet us. The moment we lower ourselves in response to our sin, he exalts us, calls us his child, and throws a party in our honor. Sometimes the most important truths are the simple ones. Sometimes the very word we need most is the truth we’ve heard thousands of times. My prayer for you today is that you wouldn’t extend yourself past the foundation of the gospel. God’s desire is that we would linger in the revelation of the aftermath of Jesus’ work, that through his life, death, and resurrection we have been raised to newness of life (Romans 6:4). Get lost today in the profound grace of your loving God. Of no work of your own, you have been set free from the bonds of this earth and brought back into the fold of your loving heavenly Father. Through the sacrifice of King Jesus you have been crowned as a co-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17).