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Dining with the Master
By my wife, Sue
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to dine with the President or someone else of importance?
As I was reading today, my attention was drawn to the thought of dining with Jesus. Wow! Dining with the One who created us; the One who loves us more than anyone else and who showed that love by dying for us! What a privilege! The mind-blowing reality is that we can do just that—dine with Jesus.
In the Old Covenant, the high priest was the only one who could go into the Holy of Holies and then only once a year. Even then it was only those priests who were qualified who could enter the Holy of Holies. All the other priests lived out their lives having never served in that capacity.
But in the New Covenant, according to 1 Pet 2:9, we belong to the royal priesthood and because of the blood of Jesus we are permitted, no invited, to enter into the most Holy place!
Jesus invites us through intercession to join Him at a table set for two. He says in Rev. 3:20, that He’s standing at the door waiting for us to join Him. He desires us to come hungry so that we can be fed from His bountiful table. He has a variety of “food” from which to choose. One day it may be a revelation, the next day it may be reassurance. Another day we may partake of promises that we need to sustain us; and, of course, there is always a supply of the Bread of Life! Our nourishment is awaiting us.
Won’t you go beyond the veil and enter the Holy of Holies to the place of intimacy where you can dine with your Master at the table set for two?
Enter in! He’s waiting for you!
Until next time…”May the LORD bless and protect you…May He give you Shalom.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Bill
Thought for 2/18/2021
God’s way is perfect! All of the Lord’s promises prove true! He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.
Psalm 18:30
Until next time…”May the LORD bless and protect you…May He give you Shalom.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Bill
Launch Out Into the Deep!
The following is a guest post by my wife, Sue…
Launching out is scary and it is risky. You don’t know what is waiting for you or whether you will be able to handle the unknown. You could be risking your life, your comfort, your security—many things. However, Jesus wants us to launch out when He calls us. If we want to know experientially who Jesus is and our destiny in Him, we must cast off our fears, leave our comfort zone, and launch out into the deep with Him. In doing so, we will learn more about Jesus and dive deeper into our intimacy with Him.
In Matt 14, Peter was told by Jesus to come and walk on the water. Peter risked stepping out of the boat but as soon as he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the waves, he cried out in fear. Immediately, Jesus was there to reach out His hand to Peter. Jesus said, “Come,” but Peter doubted that he would reach the boat.
In this life we face many trials. We invite Jesus into those trials but as soon as we are confronted with overwhelming circumstances, we cry out to Him for deliverance. The Lord wants to do more than deliver us; He wants to develop us! As with Job, satan has permission from God to bring trials into our lives in order to develop our character. In Luke 22, Jesus states that He had prayed for Peter. Jesus is our intercessor as well. He is sitting at the right hand of Father God, interceding for us! The Father always hears and answers the prayers of His Son.
In Luke 22:32, Jesus’ prayer for Peter was that Peter’s faith would not fail and that after the trial, Peter would strengthen his brethren. Our tests are also to test our commitment to the Lord. He wants us to realize the depths of His love, His power, His faithfulness, and His trustworthiness. Through these trials we can develop a deeper relationship with Him with a deeper faith at deeper levels than we have ever known.
We will never grow spiritually continually remaining on the mountaintops. In the valleys is where we find who we are and who Jesus is to us. The joy of intimacy is found in the risks of our journey with Jesus. He prepares us for service and to reach our destiny as we discover that He is there with us in the hardships of life. Our faith will grow under pressure. Our experiences will develop sensitivity and sympathy for others who are facing hardships. They will know that they can overcome life because they see that we have overcome!
In conclusion, the two benefits of testing are: spiritual growth and development, and sensitivity and sympathy to help others.
Launch out into the deep with Jesus!
Until next time…”May the LORD bless and protect you…May He give you Shalom.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Bill
Musings on COVID-19 #2
Musings on COVID-19 #2
Many have been looking to God during this pandemic; will they continue to do so afterward? Or will they slowly turn back away from Him as they slowly return to the old “normal”? We’ve heard testimony from pastors who are seeing a higher number of individuals attending their online services than attended in person. Some of these new attendees may be watching because their home congregation is not doing online services. However, will those who are truly new show up when in-person services are permitted again? Will they continue to attend online, if the congregation they are watching continues online services in conjunction with in-person services?
Only time will tell. I hope and pray that I am wrong, but my “Doubting-Thomas” side says, “No, they will disappear into the woodwork until another crisis occurs”. My question for them is “what if you don’t have the opportunity to turn to God before the next crisis occurs nationally or personally and it costs you your life? Don’t say that it isn’t possible. Unfortunately, many in this world pass suddenly who have said, “Tomorrow I’ll commit to Jesus.” I am confident that many who died from COVID-19, died without the Lord as their Savior because they delayed the decision, fully expecting to recover. Besides, it isn’t just about being His disciple when you pass; it is also about having Him in your life today, to help you through crises in your life, major and minor.
If you are reading this and you have never made a decision to accept Jesus as your Savior, or if you made such a decision once but have grown cold towards Him, don’t delay another moment. It is simple, you don’t have to say or do anything special. You only need to tell Him, in your own words, that you are sorry for how you have lived, how you have ignored Him (that is called “repentance”), and that you accept Him as your Savior and want to make Him the Lord of your life. Then, start reading your Bible, find a congregation that supports your decision, and start learning how He wants you to live. When you make this decision to turn your life over to Jesus, or if you even have any questions, contact me by commenting on this post via my blog site. Provide your contact information and I will get in touch. Your personal information will be kept confidential.
Until the next time…“May the LORD bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; May the LORD make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; May the LORD lift up His face toward you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Bill
WJB's Turn 