Jesus Calling: December 19

Do not be weighed down by the clutter in your life: lots of little chores to do sometime, in no particular order. If you focus too much on these petty tasks, trying to get them all out of the way, you will discover that they are endless. They can eat up so much time as you devote to them.
     Instead of trying to do all your chores at once, choose the ones that need to be done today. Let the rest slip into the background of your mind, so I can be in the forefront of your awareness. Remember that your ultimate goal is living close to Me, being responsive to My initiatives. I can communicate with you most readily when your mind is uncluttered and turned toward Me. Seek My Face continually throughout this day. Let My Presence bring order to your thoughts, infusing Peace into your entire being. 

Proverbs 16:3
English Standard Version
Commit your work to the Lord,
    and your plans will be established.
 
Matthew 6:33
English Standard Version
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

My Prayer
Lord, guide me and direct me to seek first the kingdom of God and your righteousness. Commit my work to the Lord.  

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Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Psalm 89:19-37 - God's Eternal Covenant with God

Psalm 89:19-37

 ¹⁹ Once You spoke in vision to Your godly ones, and said, “I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.
²⁰ “I have found David My servant; with My holy oil I have anointed him,
²¹ With whom My hand will be established; my arm also will strengthen him.
²² “The enemy will not deceive him, nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
²³ “But I shall crush his adversaries before him, and strike those who hate him.
²⁴ “My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him, and in My name his horn will be exalted.
²⁵ “I shall also set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.
²⁶ “He will cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’
²⁷ “I also shall make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
²⁸ “My lovingkindness I will keep for him forever, and My covenant shall be confirmed to him.
²⁹ “So I will establish his descendants forever and his throne as the days of heaven.

³⁰ “If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments,
³¹ If they violate My statutes and do not keep My commandments,
³² Then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes.
³³ “But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him, nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.
³⁴ “My covenant I will not violate, nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.
³⁵ “Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David.
³⁶ “His descendants shall endure forever and his throne as the sun before Me.
³⁷ “It shall be established forever like the moon, and the witness in the sky is faithful.” Selah.

Message: God's Eternal Covenant with God

Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.


What the Lord is Saying:

Lord, in the past, You spoke in vision, as was your normal way of speaking to the Holy prophets, Your godly ones, you have given help to one who is mighty, a singular one, whom you have properly qualified and exalted one chosen one from the people, for so great of an undertaking. There is scarce a man to be found among all men. I have found out of all the people, David My servant, and with My holy oil I have anointed him producing the Spirit of the Lord upon him. Thus, My hand will be established in him, constantly able to protect and assist him and support him in all that he does. He may be persecuted, but no advantage will be made against him.  The enemy will not deceive him, nor the son of wickedness afflict him or overthrow him. The enemy will not conquer him. There will always be enemies and adversaries before God's anointed ones, but God shall crush and strike those who hate him. And Lord, your faithfulness will be with your servant. You always make good on your promises. Your lovingkindness and mercy are present in that you always do more than you promise. You pardon our sins. In Your name your horn (power) will be exalted. You set your hand on the sea and your right hand on the rivers. You establish your dominion over the waters. The waters are vast but you are in charge. They are deep but you understand. You power is established farther than we can see. We cry to You, 'You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.'  You are a true and kind father, my father, my God, and you can complete salvation in me.Thank you Father for making me as a firstborn, the highest kings of the earth. The firstborn had privileges above all other sons. But David here is the highest of kings over the earth. For David, My lovingkindness (mercy) Lord God will keep for him forever nothing will alter your kind intentions. God you will establish his descendants forever and his throne as the days of heaven (without limit). Lord, if your sons forsake Your law and do not walk in Your judgments, if they violate Your statutes (rules) and do not keep Your commandments then you will punish their sin with the rod and their iniquity with stripes, but You will not break off Your mercy (lovingkindness from him, nor deal falsely in My faithfulness. Lord, your promises will continue. We can hold firm on this one and only promise. Your covenant You will not violate. You will not alter the utterance of Your lips. Your word remains true, no matter what. Yes consequences from sin will result, but Your word remains. Lord, you added a promise or oath or have sworn by Your holiness. You will not lie to David. Your descendants shall endure forever and your throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established forever like the moon and the witness in the sky is faithful. As the moon and sky never depart from our lives, we can be reminded that your merciful promises will remain. 


Promise: God's promises remain, forever, like the moon, like the sky, for he has made an oath, sworn that it would be so.

Jesus Calling: December 18

When you are plagued by a persistent problem--one that goes on and on--view it as a rich opportunity. An ongoing problem is like a tutor who is always by your side. The learning possibilities are limited only by your willingness to be teachable. In faith, thank Me for your problem. Ask Me to open your eyes and your heart to all that I am accomplishing through this difficulty. Once you have become grateful for a problem, it loses its power to drag you down. On the contrary, your thankful attitude will lift you up into heavenly places with Me. From this perspective, your difficulty can be seen as a slight, temporary distress that is producing for you a transcendent Glory never to cease! 

Isaiah 30:20-21
English Standard Version

²⁰ And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. ²¹ And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

2 Corinthians 4:17
Amplified Version
¹⁷ For our momentary, light distress [this passing trouble] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory [a fullness] beyond all measure [surpassing all comparisons, a transcendent splendor and an endless blessedness]!

My Prayer
Lord, thank you for the problems that are going on right now. Open my eyes and my heart to all that you are accomplishing through these difficulties. You are using it to center my focus and trust on You. You are showing me that my strength is found in You. I am grateful for these problems. Use these problems for your glory.

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Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Psalm 89:1-18 - King David's Mighty Hand

Psalm 89:1-18
¹ I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever;
To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.
² For I have said, “Lovingkindness will be built up forever;
In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.”
³ “I have made a covenant with My chosen;
I have sworn to David My servant,
⁴ I will establish your seed forever
And build up your throne to all generations.” Selah.

⁵ The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
⁶ For who in the skies is comparable to the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty is like the Lord,
⁷ A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,
And awesome above all those who are around Him?
⁸ O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
⁹ You rule the swelling of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.
¹⁰ You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain;
You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

¹¹ The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The world and all it contains, You have founded them.
¹² The north and the south, You have created them;
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.
¹³ You have a strong arm;
Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted.
¹⁴ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Lovingkindness and truth go before You.
¹⁵ How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance.
¹⁶ In Your name they rejoice all the day, and by Your righteousness they are exalted.
¹⁷ For You are the glory of their strength, and by Your favor our horn is exalted.
¹⁸ For our shield belongs to the Lord, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Message: King David's Mighty Hand

Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying:

Lord, I enter your presence, today, bowing down in spirit, I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever; to all generations (all ages of people) I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth. I sing to you, but I make you known to everyone. You God will remain loving forever. Lovingkindness will be built up forever; above me Lord, in the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness. Thank you God for making a covenant with me, your chosen. Thank you for establishing my seed forever through Jesus Christ. I never have to doubt or question my eternal state with God. The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness also as we gather together at church, with one another. Your faithfulness is always amazing.For who in the skies is comparable to the Lord? No one. No one in all of the world that we see and cannot see is comparable to the Lord. None of the angels (sons of the mighty) is like the Lord. God, you are greatly feared among the people of God, the holy ones and you are awesome above anyone that is around you. O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. You have power over the sea. When its waves rise, You still them. As I think of the sea and your power over it, I am reminded of how You Yourself redeemed your people in the Red Sea; You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm. The heavens, the earth, the world and all it contains, You have founded them and all is Yours. You own it all God and all that we see is for you. You created directions. The north and the south, You have created them. The mountains of Tabor and Hermon in the land of Canaan shout for joy and proclaim on high you God. Your name is majesty and is shouted from the mountaintops. Lord, you are a God with power. You have a strong arm; Your hand is mighty, Your hand is exalted. You exercise your will with power. O God, righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne. You are right. You are perfect. You are good. You judge fairly and your kingship is of order. You reign with power. Lovingkindness and truth go before You. How blessed are the people of God who know the amazing and wonderful sound of God's righteousness, justice, and lovingkindness. Our walk is bright; You God shine upon us. In Jesus name there is rejoicing all the day. And by your righteouness, your making us clean from sin and declaring us in right standing with God and because of this they (the Church) is exalted. The joy of the Lord is my strength. by Your favor our horn (power) is exalted. Our shield belongs to the Lord and our king to the Holy One of Israel.

God has done a great work with his people. 

Promise: No one can compare with the Lord revealed in Scripture.

Jesus Calling: December 17

Come to Me with your gaping emptiness, knowing that in Me you are complete. As you rest quietly in My Presence, My Light within you grows brighter and brighter. Facing the emptiness inside you is simply the prelude to being filled with My fullness. Therefore, rejoice on those days when you drag yourself out of bed, feeling sluggish and inadequate. Tell yourself that this is a perfect day to depend on Me in childlike trust. If you persevere in this dependence as you go through the day, you will discover at bedtime that Joy and Peace have become your companions. You may not realize at what point they joined you on your journey, but you will feel the beneficial effects of their presence. The perfect end to such a day is a doxology of gratitude. I am He from whom all blessings flow! 

2 Corinthians 4:6
English Standard Version
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
 
Matthew 5:3,6
English Standard Version
³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
 
Colossians 2:9-10
English Standard Version
⁹ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

Psalm 150:6
English Standard Version
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

My Prayer
Lord, you are my strength. May your will be done today. Let light shine out of darkness. May my day be about thirsting for righteousness. You are the great provider. You are the head of all. In You the whole fullness of deity dwells. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. I praise the Lord.

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Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Proverbs 8:22-36 - God's Greater Wisdom

Proverbs 8:22-36

²² “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old.
²³ “From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.
²⁴ “When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.
²⁵ “Before the mountains were settled, before the hills I was brought forth;
²⁶ While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, nor the first dust of the world.
²⁷ “When He established the heavens, I was there, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
²⁸ When He made firm the skies above, when the springs of the deep became fixed,
²⁹ When He set for the sea its boundary so that the water would not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth;
³⁰ Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him,
³¹ Rejoicing in the world, His earth, and having my delight in the sons of men.

³² “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, for blessed are they who keep my ways.
³³ “Heed instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.
³⁴ “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts.
³⁵ “For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.
³⁶ “But he who sins against me injures himself; all those who hate me love death.”

 
Message: God's Greater Wisdom

Time: It seems that Proverbs was written and then compiled sometime between the tenth and sixth centuries B.C. Proverbs was probably written during the reign of Solomon, 971-931 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying:

This has been an interesting chapter as wisdom speaks to me. It started out with an 11 verse address to "listen up." And then 10 more verses on simply the value of wisdom and how it is the key ingredient in all of life and for all positions of life. Wisdom transcends all the roles of life and our desire is to run out evil and embrace the truth.

This set of verses continues the thought. These verses have thought to be at many times to personify Christ and the coming Messiah.

The Lord possessed me. God was in me. I can see why people think this is talking of Jesus, but to keep the thought of wisdom in this chapter, we see that the Lord owns wisdom. Wisdom is possible apart from God. But, the kind of wisdom that rules life and is what we want comes from God possessing it. Lord, help me to surrender to you each day and allow your wisdom to be in my life. It is like a crescendo, an instrument of praise. Throughout scripture we have this idea of “In the Beginning God.” God establishes his creation and all the things in it and everything is meant to be for us. Lord, help me to be more thankful of you and what you have done. Help me Jesus to be reminded that surely you are in this place. I get too focused on tomorrow and what it needs to look like. But bring me back to past victories. I do not want to be wise in my own eyes. I want to gain wisdom from above.

Now….

….therefore….

Sons….Listen to me – blessed are they who keep my ways.
Heed instruction

Be wise

-          Don’t neglect it

-          You are blessed [simply] for listening to me

o   Watching daily at my gates

o   Waiting at my doorposts

He who finds me finds life.

He who finds me obtains favor from the Lord.

But….

He who sins against me injures himself

 All those who hate me love death

Promise: God has a greater wisdom. 

Jesus Calling: December 16

I am speaking in the depths of your being. Be still, so that you can hear My voice. I speak in the language of Love; My words fill you with Life and Peace, Joy and Hope. I desire to talk with all of My children, but many are too busy to listen. The "work ethic" has them tied up in knots. They submit wholeheartedly to this taskmaster, wondering why they feel so distant from Me.
     Living close to Me requires making Me your First Love -- your highest priority. As you seek My Presence above all else, you experience Peace and Joy in full measure. I also am blessed when you make Me first in your life. While you journey through life in My Presence, My Glory brightens the world around you. 

Isaiah 50:4
English Standard Version
The Lord God has given me
    the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain with a word
    him who is weary.
Morning by morning he awakens;
    he awakens my ear
    to hear as those who are taught.
 
Revelation 2:4
English Standard Version
But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
 
Isaiah 60:2
English Standard Version
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
    and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
    and his glory will be seen upon you.
 
My Prayer
Lord, I love morning - it is new and fresh. I want to be still with you and block out the day's events. I lift up my brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ no matter where they are at and pray that they would live close to You and make You their first love - their highest priority - each day. Thank you for the promise of Peace and Joy. We live in times that appear dark, but yes Lord, You will arise and Your glory will be seen. 

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Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.