PROVIDER

When is the last time you witnessed God’s provision in your life?

I don’t know about you, but I tend to look for miraculous acts of God and miss the everyday blessings He bestows on me. What I sometimes forget is that God is providing for me every second of every single day. Every breath I take is because God provides the oxygen in the air. My lungs inhale that oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. What an amazing organ He provided for us. Every step I take is a blessing He provided when He gave me legs. The fact that I’m able to write this message is because He provided me with hands and fingers to type. Every sunrise and sunset are gifts from God that He provides to mankind. The birds, deer, racoons, possums, ground hogs, and squirrels that often grace my backyard are reminders that He supplies all they need and does the same for you and me.

Paul wrote to the church of Philippi …

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

He is the Provider of everything we need. Even if it may not always be what we want, He promises to meet our needs.

Matthew wrote about God’s provision in Matthew 6:25-34.

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?

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

As we praise Him this week as our Provider, let’s take time to notice all He provides for us. I encourage you to make a list and post it in a noticeable place in your home as a reminder of how He meets your needs.

And don’t forget that the greatest gift He provided for us was the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sunday Supplication

Lord God, I praise You this week as my Provider. Thank You, Lord, for the air I breathe. Thank You for always providing for me even when I don’t even realize it. This week, help me be aware of everything You do to provide for all my needs. AMEN! SO BE IT!

Monday Manna

So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name.

Genesis 22:14 & Psalm 111:9

Tuesday Treasure

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Hebrews 1:3

Wednesday Wisdom

So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.

Deuteronomy 11:13-15

Thursday Truth

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

Romans 5:17

Friday Fact

You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy. You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.

Psalm 65:5-13

Saturday Song

JESUS CHRIST

Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

If not, please don’t delay. There is no more important decision you will make in your lifetime than the decision to accept His free gift of salvation. Click on the image to the right for an excellent resource that will lead you in the steps of becoming a Christian.

If you have accepted Him as your Savior, will you join me this week in focusing on the price He paid for our sin. I don’t know about you, but there are times when I take my salvation for granted.

Let’s spend this week praising Him for what He gave for us when He gave His life on the cross, and let’s praise Him that He did not stay in the grave. He rose again to offer us an abundant eternal life with Him.

Sunday Supplication

Jesus, I praise You this week as Christ my Lord and Savior. Thank You, for giving Your life so that I may live. Remind me daily of the gift You’ve given me. This week, I ask that You lead others to accept Your free gift of salvation. Give them a hunger and thirst for You. You said that no one could come to You unless the Father draws them. (John 6:44) Draw them this week, Lord. AMEN! SO BE IT!

Monday Manna

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Romans 6:3-4

Tuesday Treasure

The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:10-11

Wednesday Wisdom

Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.

Romans 13:11-14

Thursday Truth

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Friday Fact

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:1-2

Saturday Song

FRIEND

When you think of a best friend, who comes to mind?

For me a myriad of faces float through my brain. Some of those go back decades and others only a few years. Some I stay in touch with almost daily and others I may go weeks, months, or even years without connecting. Yet, when we do, it’s like we never parted.

There are many great quotes about friendship.

• Keep the ones that heard you when you never said a word. (Author unknown)
• I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light. (Helen Keller)
• Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.  (Eleanor Roosevelt)
• What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it. (C.S. Lewis)

Each of these quotes can be applied to what it’s like to have Jesus as our friend. The more time we spend with Him, the better we come to know Him.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is a friend of sinners. Do you ever struggle with a particular sin in your life and wonder if Jesus will give up on you and walk away? Because He is our friend, He will never throw our relationship away. He treasures us and longs to spend time with us.

This week as you praise Jesus as your friend, commit to spending more time with Him. Talk with Him as you would a friend with skin. Sit with Him and discover His truth through the word. Open your heart to Him and allow Him to be the best friend you’ve ever had.

Sunday Supplication

Jesus, this week I praise You as my friend. Walk with me through every trial I face this week. Make me aware of Your presence. Give me a heart that loves You above all others and a desire to have long conversations with You. AMEN! SO BE IT!

Monday Manna

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

John 15:15

Tuesday Treasure

The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.

Exodus 33:11a

Wednesday Wisdom

And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.

James 2:23

Thursday Truth

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

Friday Fact

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’

Luke 7:34

Saturday Song

FORTRESS

Do you have days when you want to run away and hide? At those times, it’s comforting to know that we have a place to run, a safe place, a fortress from the storms of life.

What images come to mind when you think of a fortress? Perhaps you envision a castle surrounded by a mote. Maybe you see a tower standing tall on the edge of a cliff or possibly a stone citadel with impenetrable walls. Whatever the picture, God as our fortress provides us with a place of shelter when tempests rage against us.

In Psalm 59 David refers to God as his fortress four times. Even though his enemies were attacking him at every turn, David chose to praise the Lord and trust Him. David closed this chapter by writing, “You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.”

I love the Amplified Bible’s translation of this verse: Unto You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my Defense, my Fortress, and High Tower, the God Who shows me mercy and steadfast love.

Are you able to praise God in the midst of your struggles and troubles?

If not, this week take a lesson from David. Seek the Lord as a safe place of refuge and praise Him as your fortress.

Sunday Supplication

Lord, I praise You this week as my Fortress. You are a safe place in the storms of life and a sanctuary in the midst of my trails. Thank You for never closing the portal to me and always allowing me access to Your throne. If I’m tempted to fear or run somewhere else for safety this week, remind me that You are my Fortress and the only One I need. AMEN! SO BE IT!

Monday Manna

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 18:2

Tuesday Treasure

Deliver me from my enemies, O God; be my fortress against those who are attacking me.

You are my strength, I watch for you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me.

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.

Psalm 59:1,9-10,16-17

Wednesday Wisdom

Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.

Proverbs 14:26

Thursday Truth

But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

Psalm 94:22

Friday Fact

I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Psalm 91:2

Saturday Song

OUR HEALER

One of my favorite stories in the Gospels is about the healing of the bleeding woman. Mark 5:25-34 describes the scene this way …

And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.

She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.

When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”

Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

“You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.

Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

That’s one of dozens of stories about people being healed by Jesus. The great thing about this woman is that she knew where to go for healing and didn’t hesitate to go even though others would condemn her as unclean and unworthy of being among the hordes that day. In desperation, she pushed her way through the crowds and touched His garment and received instant healing. Why? Because she had faith.

Does that mean that everyone with faith is healed physically this side of heaven? No, although miraculous healings take place every day. But sometimes healing comes when someone is ushered into God’s presence. We’ll never fully understand why some are healed and others aren’t, but if we look beyond the physical, we may see emotional or mental healing taking place. Anyone who has accepted Jesus as their Savior has seen spiritual healing.

Even if you are suffering with a physical illness, this week look for other ways He’s healed you. Praise Him that one day you will experience Revelation 21 healing in person and live eternally with no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. Praise Him that one day He will make all things new. Yes, even you.

Sunday Supplication

Lord God, my Healer, this week as I praise You, if I’m focused on a physical need, help me to discover the myriad of ways You’ve healed or are healing other areas of my life. I long for the day when there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain and when all things will be made new. In the meantime, Healer, work within me to turn the ashes of my life into a crown of beauty and rejoicing. AMEN! SO BE IT!

Monday Manna

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

Tuesday Treasure

Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 103:1-5

Wednesday Wisdom

He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”

Exodus 15:26

Thursday Truth

Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

Psalm 107:19-20

Friday Fact

LORD my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.

Psalm 30:2

Saturday Song

A GOD OF GRACE

How would you define Grace?

I’ve often seen it described as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

Many define it as God’s Unmerited Favor.

Some are confused as to the difference between mercy and grace.

I recently heard it described this way …

Grace is when God gives us what we don’t deserve.

Mercy is when God doesn’t give us what we do deserve.

Perhaps one of the most recognizable scriptures in the Bible is found in 2 Corinthians when Paul wrote, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Whether you are coming to Jesus as a sinner seeking His forgiveness or needing grace in hard times, the God of grace promises that His grace is ample to meet our every need.

Do you believe His grace is sufficient for your salvation? Or are you trying to earn entrance into heaven by your good works? If the latter, then you do not truly grasp His grace or understand the importance of faith. His grace is a free gift to us who believe.

Paul wrote to the church of Ephesus, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Without the sacrifice of Jesus we would not know grace, and we’d be lost in our sin. Nothing we do apart from our faith in Jesus Christ can earn us salvation. Do good works matter? Of course, but they are a result of our salvation and not a means to salvation.

This week as we praise Him as the God of Grace, meditate on His sufficiency and give Him thanks for His free gift of grace.

Sunday Supplication

God of Grace, thank you for your free gift of grace that allowed me to be saved. This week when the enemy whispers in my ear that I’m not good enough, remind me that Your Grace is sufficient for me. When I’m tempted to focus on past mistakes, speak to my heart the truth that Your Grace covers all my sin. I praise You this week as the One whose Grace is sufficient to meet all my needs. AMEN! SO BE IT!

Monday Manna

Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 1:16-17

Tuesday Treasure

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:22-24

Wednesday Wisdom

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:1-2,15,20-21

Thursday Truth

So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

Romans 11:5-6

Friday Fact

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

Saturday Song

A GOD OF HOPE

Hope!

The dictionary defines it as a feeling that what is desired can be had; a reasonable confidence. But the Greek word for hope describes it as more than a feeling. It is an expectation of obtaining what we desire.

Hebrews 6:19 tells us:

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Isn’t that a beautiful image? God as our Hope is an anchor for our soul. Our hope is secured through Jesus Christ. It is steadfast and unwavering because it is fortified on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ.

Does that mean we’ll never feel hopeless in the midst of troubles and struggles? If we base our hope on our feelings, we are prone to take our eyes off our God of Hope and focus instead on the circumstances around us.

This week, I challenge you to set your heart and mind on the God of Hope. Allow Him to be the first and secure anchor for your soul regardless of where you may be in the journey of life.

Praise Him as the God of Hope!

Sunday Supplication

God of Hope, I praise You this week as the one who is the steadfast and secure anchor for my soul. If I’m tempted to waver in my hope and confidence, speak to my heart the assurance that You are the Hope on which everything I trust and believe is guaranteed. You are the God of Hope. AMEN! SO BE IT!

Monday Manna

Although our sins testify against us, do something, LORD, for the sake of your name. For we have often rebelled; we have sinned against you. You who are the hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only a night? Why are you like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? You are among us, LORD, and we bear your name; do not forsake us!

Jeremiah 14:7-9

Tuesday Treasure

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Wednesday Wisdom

LORD, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water.

Jeremiah 17:13

Thursday Truth

Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Romans 8:23-25

Friday Fact

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Ephesians 4:3-6

Saturday Song

OUR GOOD SHEPHERD

I love the image of the Lord as our Good Shepherd.

In John 10, Jesus tells us how He as a Good Shepherd cares for His sheep.

• He calls His sheep by name
• He leads them
• He goes ahead of them
• He lays down His life for His sheep
• He knows His sheep
• He gives them eternal life
• No one can snatch them from His hand

Perhaps one of the most notable passages about God as our Shepherd was written by David and is found in Psalm 23.

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

What a beautiful image of how God cares for us as His sheep.

In John 10, Jesus tells us our responsibilities as His sheep are to

• know Him
• recognize His voice
• listen to Him,
• follow Him

As you praise Him this week as your Good Shepherd, take inventory of how well you are living as His sheep. Do you seek to know Him more? Do you recognize His voice? Do you just hear Him, or do you listen to Him? Lastly, do you follow Him where He leads?

If your answer is no, this week strive to be a faithful and obedient sheep as you praise Him as your Good Shepherd.

Sunday Supplication

Good Shepherd, this week I desire to follow You wherever You may lead me. Thank you for guiding me and caring for me as a shepherd tenderly cares for his sheep. Show me where I may be swerving from the path You have placed before me. I praise You, Good Shepherd. AMEN! SO BE IT!

Monday Manna

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

John 10:11,14-16

Tuesday Treasure

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

1 Peter 5:4

Wednesday Wisdom

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 13:20-21

Thursday Truth

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

Micah 5:4

Friday Fact

For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.

I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

Ezekiel 34:11-12,16

Saturday Song

OUR OMNI GOD

If you’re anything like me, you may find yourself confused about the Omni attributes of God. The word omni simply means all.

Our God is

• Omniscient: All Knowing
• Omnipotent: All Powerful
• Omnipresent: Always Present Everywhere

What do each of these characteristics of God mean to you?

I had a Sunday School teacher that often said, “All is all and that’s all all is.” I love that! What I love even more is the fact that GOD is ALL. He is ALL knowing. He is ALL powerful. He is ALL present. He is ALL possible. He is ALL loving. He is ALL compassionate. And He is ALL I need.

In Matthew 19, Jesus tells a rich man it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples asked, “Who then can be saved.” Jesus replied in verse 26,

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

ALL things are possible. There is no limit to God. There is no soul beyond God’s reach. There is no sin so great that God can’t forgive. There is no problem He cannot solve. Why? Because GOD is ALL and HE’S ALL GOD. He is the great “I AM.” And He is ALL I need.

This week, praise Him as your Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent God.

Sunday Supplication

Dear Lord, my Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient God, I praise You! You are everything to me. You are all things. All powerful. All present. All knowing. Thank you that there is nowhere I can go from Your presence. There is no part of me that You do not know fully well. There is nothing I will face in this life that Your power cannot work for my good. This week help me to focus on the fact that You are all I need. AMEN! SO BE IT!

Monday Manna

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalm 139:7-10

Tuesday Treasure

The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

Proverbs 15:3

Wednesday Wisdom

This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

1 John 3:19-20

Thursday Truth

I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

Jeremiah 32:27

Friday Fact

Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

Psalm 147:5

Saturday Song

OUR HIGH PRIEST

One of my favorite Bible studies is Beth Moore’s A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place. In the study, Beth leads students through an in-depth look into the tabernacle of God. She teaches on each article of the tabernacle and describes how they symbolize Jesus and point to Him as our High Priest. One of the most impactful portions of the study is understanding the duties and importance of the priests in the days of Moses and discovering how Jesus is now our High Priest.

What thoughts come to your mind when you envision Jesus as your High Priest?

For me, one of the most important things is that I no longer have to go through anyone to get to God. I can go straight to the source—Jesus. That’s not to say that I’ve never sought counsel from a pastor or been called by God to confess a wrong to another person, but my forgiveness of sin is not contingent on a human being. It is all about Jesus and the blood He shed for me.

One of the main duties of the High Priest in Moses’ day was to go into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement and intercede on behalf of the Israelites before the Mercy Seat. According to God’s instructions in Exodus, the priest was only permitted to do this once a year. If he went behind the veil any other time, he would be struck dead.

Aren’t you thankful that you are allowed to go before God’s throne any time – day or night?

Aren’t you grateful that Jesus, as your High Priest, is always available?

This week as you praise Him as your High Priest, consider the myriad of ways He represents us before God.

Go before His Mercy Seat and confess your sins to Him.

Linger in the Holy of Holies and spend time with Him.

Allow Him to represent you before God as your High Priest..

Sunday Supplication

Jesus, my High Priest, thank You for allowing me to come into Your presence any time, day or night. This week give me a desire to spend more time with You and to bask in the light of Your presence. As I praise You as my High Priest, renew in me the awe of what it means to have You interceding for me. AMEN! SO BE IT!

Monday Manna

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:14-16

Tuesday Treasure

Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.

Hebrews 7:26-27

Wednesday Wisdom

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 6:19-20

Thursday Truth

But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

Hebrews 9:11-12

Friday Fact

Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.

Hebrews 8:1-2

Saturday Song