|
Receiving of His Fullness
IT IS EVIDENT. There is no
way to receive of Gods fullness except through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Why? Because it pleased His Father that it should be this way.
DAY 1There
is none other way to know God as Heavenly Father but through the grace
revealed in Christ Jesus.
Jn 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth,
and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. Ac 4:12 Neither
is there salvation in any other: for there is none other Name under heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved.
DEAR FATHER, I am settled in this. There is no other way of salvation
but through Your only begotten Son. I opened my heart to Him. I continue
today with an open heart toward Him so He can become my life, my strength,
my purity, my defense, my fullness.
Salvation through Christ alone was the early
Gospel messageAc 10:42,43;Ac 16:31; I Cor 3:11; I Tim 2:5
DAY 2When
Christ Jesus came, He was the expression of Gods fullness in
the earth. Now, His body is that expression of Him.
Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him should all
fullness dwell. Eph 1:22,23 And (He) hath put all things
under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the Church,
which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.
LORD, when I look at the condition of Your Church, it becomes difficult
for me to know it is the expression of Your fullness. But when I turn
my attention to You and worship You, I can begin to see Your grace and
your love in the people around me. I can even see Your power working in
them. So I turn my attention to You.
His works may be hid from the wise but revealed
unto babesMt 11:25-30
DAY 3God
ordained that in His only begotten Son we come into our completion.
Col 2:9,10 For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily. And ye are complete in Him, Which is the Head of all principality
and power... I Cor 1:30 But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, Who
of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption.
FATHER, I will walk in this today. I receive it that I am complete
in Your Son. He is my wisdom. He is my righteousness. He is my sanctification.
In Him, and in Him alone, I have redemption. Grace me to walk in this
before the principalities and powers that I face.
God is the Husbandman, Christ is the Vine,
we are the BranchesJn 15:1-5
DAY 4When
we receive of His fullness, we receive from Him a never-ending
stream of grace.
Jn 1:15-17 John bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This
was He of Whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me:
for He was before me. And of His fulness have all we received, and grace
for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ.
FATHER, the grace of knowing You through Your Son is the most wonderful
thing in my life. I stand in that grace. I find my consolation in it.
It is the resource of my life. Teach me what it means to live out of its
flow. Bring these I hold before You to know its power.
We stand in a grace that abounds.II
Cor 8:9; II Cor 9:8; I Pet 5:10
DAY 5The
ministry the ascended Lord appointed is to bring each of us to our own
expression of His fullness.
Eph 4:10-13 He that descended is the same also that ascended
up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things) And He gave some,
Apostles; and some, Prophets; and some, Evangelists; and some, Pastors
and Teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity
of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
DEAR LORD, sometimes I have been very prone to criticize the ministries
You have appointed. I have passed my judgment upon them and deemed some
of them unfit. Forgive me for ever doing this. Today I hold before You
these who minister Your Gospel. Bathe them with Your presence. Fill them
with Your wisdom.
We are the Body of Christ and its members in
particularI Cor 12:12-27
DAY 6The
grace of God in which we stand never ceases releasing His fullness toward
us.
I Pet 5:10 But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto
His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while,
make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. Heb 12:28 Wherefore
we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby
we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
GOD OF ALL GRACE, I present myself before You today still very
much in need of that grace You extend to us who are so weak. My feelings,
my will, my mind, my conscience are all under stress. I have no recourse
but to give all these areas over to You and to the healing power of Your
grace.
Gods love to us and provision for us
never ceasesIs 49:14-16
DAY 7His
grace brings us to an abundant life.
Rom 5:17b . . .they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life
by One, Jesus Christ. Jn 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to
steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly.
LORD, for years I let the thief rob me. He sought to destroy my
life in You. I still suffer from what he did, and what I did in response
to him. Show me where still he may have ground in me. Bring me to repentance
and to wholeness in You so I can become, even now, useful in Your Kingdom.
In the end we will see a people reigning with
ChristRev 1:6; Rev 3:21; Rev 5:9,10; Rev 20:4; Rev 22:5
DAY 8The
love of Christ, in its full extent, will bring us to all the fullness
of God.
Eph 3:17-19 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;
that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend
with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might
be filled with all the fullness of God.
LOVING FATHER, there are some things I need to learn from You about
love. Teach me to love unconditionally. Teach me to love when I am not
loved in return. Teach me to love with an active love that gives whether
it ever receives. Teach me to love redemptively.
Abounding love will be a keeping force in us
for the endPhil 1:9,10
DAY 9Continuing
before Him, we find how He responds to the desires of our hearts.
Ps 42:1,2 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so
panteth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the
living God: when shall I come and appear before God? Ps 63:1,2 O
God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee,
my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
to see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary.
DEAR LORD, my desire today is not toward things but toward You.
There remains a longing in my spirit to know Your fullness. Although it
is beyond my understanding, my spirit is demanding it. I have no hope
of attaining this but by Your grace. So, I wait before You.
We discipline ourselves to waitPs
40:1-8
IT NEED NOT BE so that we must
know the darkness to receive His light, but we find that the darkness,
the pain, the grief, the loss that comes in life often make way for His
greater light to shineand the greater joy, and greater wealth...
DAY 10When
our spirits know Him, everything else is well.
II Kings 4:25,26 So she went (after her child died so
suddenly) and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came
to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi
his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite: run now, I pray thee,
to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy
husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.
FATHER, this is beyond me. How could that woman whose child died
so suddenly say "It is well" when asked about him? But, I know she knew
something even in that Old Covenant day. Oh, I long to know it now! I
long for that abiding peace and knowledge of You that is not daunted by
the dark things that come.
How is it that He will manifest Himself unto
us and not unto the world?Jn 14:22-27
DAY 11Even
in the face of great trial, we can know Him and rejoice.
Hab 3:17,18 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither
shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the
fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold,
and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
FATHER, I am still having to learn to rejoice in You in the midst
of trial. I am still learning that no darkness, no pain, no sorrow can
hide Your face if I but trust You. Sometimes my confidence is weak. But
I am learning to seek You in the face of trial. Draw me on.
Darkness can become a good time for hearing
HimIs 45:3; Ps 139:12,13; Mt l0:27a
DAY 12When
we receive of His grace, we receive a never-ending source of life and
strength.
Jn 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall
give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall
be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Jn 6:35
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to
Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.
LOVING FATHER, today I turn from my own seeking to hold these dear
ones who hurt before You. I feel for them and wish they were not going
through the trial that is upon them. But the fact is, they are in deep
trouble. I loose them to know You in their darkness. Draw them after You.
Convict them with Your love. Oh, become known to them in their trouble!
We see how gentle are the dealings of the Lord
with someone who is in troubleJn 4:4-26
DAY 13Even
in the darkest trial it is possible to maintain a testimony of confidence.
Job 23:8-10 Behold, I go forward, but He is not there; and
backward, but I cannot perceive Him: on the left hand, where He doth work,
but I cannot behold Him: He hideth Himself on the right hand, that I cannot
see Him: but He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I
shall come forth as gold. Heb 13:5b . . for
He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
LOVING FATHER, You are teaching me to trust You even when I cannot
see Your hand at work. Hold me in this! Strengthen me in my spirit to
know Your ways even while I am going through this time when I cannot see
You, feel Your presence, or hear Your voice.
In our afflictions we are learning more of
His gloryIl Cor 4:16-18
DAY 14We
are learning that a time of loss can become a time a greater gain in Him.
Phil 3:7-9a But what things were gain to me, those I counted
loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for Whom I have suffered
the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
and be found in Him...
LOVING LORD, there is nothing so excellent as knowing You and finding
our place in You. Help us, while we are going through this loss, to find
the greater value of Your Kingdom. Help us know our value in Your Kingdom.
Help us become stable in knowing You and in trusting You in the darkness.
In our afflictions we are coming to know a
joy that cannot be described with wordsI Pet 1:6-8
DAY 15We
are learning to cry unto Him when we feel ourselves sinking.
Ps 143:7,8 Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide
not Thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
Cause me to hear Thy loving kindness in the morning; for in Thee do I
trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my
soul unto Thee.
LORD, what this Psalmist prayed is my prayer today. Hear me for
my spirit is weak and still has a tendency to fail me. But I trust You.
I lift up my soul, with all its weakness, unto You. You are filling my
weakness with Your strength. You are filling my sorrow with Your joy.
You are filling my turmoil with Your peace. Please let this come through
me and touch these around me.
We can learn to do Gods will and find
His mercy while under assault from the enemyPs 143:1-12
DAY 16We
are learning to place greater value upon the realities of His eternal
Kingdom.
II Cor 5:1-3 For we know that if our earthly house of this
tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made
with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring
to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that
being clothed we shall not be found naked.
FATHER, my groaning is still evident. But I feel it is becoming
more the groaning of birth pangs. I long to be clothed upon with my house
which is from heaven. I long for this now, today. O bring me on to know
You so fully. Let the affliction closing in upon me only press me in to
knowing Your fullness.
We come to the place where there is no one
and no thing that we desire beside HimPs 73:23-26
COMING ASIDE from the world until
its clamor and pull has lost its interruption upon our spirits will certainly
aid us in knowing His fullness. Then, in some quiet moment, He
will come and we will know Him. Whether we see Him in vision, feel Him
in our heart, receive His presence by faith alone, or become slain in
the spirit before Him, is of little matter. The importance is that we
know Him, and that in our hearts we maintain our assurance before Him.
If we have learned to come aside
with Him, then we need not be surprised that He will walk with us back
into the clang and clamor of the world. We are learning to receive of
His fullness in every avenue of life demanded of us.
DAY 17He
comes to us in our greatest storm to bring His greater peace.
Ps 93:3,4 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have
lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The LORD on high
is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves
of the sea. Mk 4:39 And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said
unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great
calm.
LORD, in this storm raging all around me and in my family, I listen
for Your voice. We are ready for the calm only You can bring, but these
others are not listening, so I continue listening, even in the turmoil.
And oh! I hear You speaking. Speak on till the rage ceases. Speak in me.
Speak through me. Use me.
Sometimes it is when we are at our wits end that
He makes the storm to ceasePs 107:26-31
DAY 18If
we will wait before Him, He will come in our weakness and bring His strength.
Isa 40:29-31 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that
have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and
be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon
the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as
eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not
faint.
LORD, simply put, teach us to wait on You. We have been hasty in
our decisions and have gotten ourselves into deep trouble. We are bewildered
and frustrated, but I am beginning to see this is a good thing. It is
pressing us all into You. Please reveal Your grace upon us, release us
from anger one toward the other, and heal us as a family, (as a company,
as a fellowship).
It may be in our weakness that we all learn to
wait on the LordIsa 8:17; Ps 25:3-5; Ps 37:34; Ps 40:1
DAY 19Great
sorrow makes way for greater joy.
Jn 16:21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because
her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth
no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. Ps
30:5 For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping
may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
LORD, my sorrow has been with me as a continuing pain. It has laid
heavy upon my soul and brought me down in health. Today I release it unto
You. I am ready for the joy that morning brings. Heal this deep part in
me, and us, so we can all rejoice in Your love.
There is an admonition for the closing days that
we keep ourselves in the love of GodJude 17-23
DAY 20The
God of hope will fill us with joy and peace in believing.
Rom 15:12,13 And again, Esaias (Isaiah) saith, There
shall be a Root of Jesse, and He that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles;
in Him shall the Gentiles (the nations) trust. Now the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope,
through the power of the Holy Ghost.
ROOT OF JESSE, SON OF DAVID, hold us in hope, even in the dark
hours. Bring usby this I mean my family and loved ones, my friends,
my neighborsto the place where our love will be so steadfast that
nothing can put out its flame. Let this love turn to faith for one another,
and joy, and peace. This is our hope.
Other Prophets also spoke of this same hopeJer
14:8; Hos 2:15; Joel 3:16
DAY 21Our
prayer continues for others that they may know His fullness.
Col 1:9-11 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do
not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with
the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being
fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of
God; strengthened with all might,
according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering
with joyfulness.
FATHER, I hold before You these that I love. Fill them with the
knowledge of what You want. Help them walk worthy of Your Kingdom. Strengthen
them with Your might. Release in them Your power. Help them become patient
and long-suffering. Make their joy full.
We continue to learn to pray that our love
will abound yet more and morePhil 1:9-11
© Berean Ministries
Visit Us at http://www.maschil.com |
|