Daily Devotional - 10/12/15

Prayer Focus - Dreams



Day 3
Pray for:
One dream you have for yourself
One dream you have for your family
One dream you have for your spiritual life



Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.



Psalms 102


"For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in His glory.  He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their plea.

In the course of my life He broke my strength; He cut short my days.  So I said: 'Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days; Your years go on through all generations.  In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.  They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment.  Like clothing You will change them and they will be discarded.  But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.  The children of Your servants will live in Your presence; their descendants will be established before You.'"   ( vs. 2 - 7 )


Everything changes except for God.  We all grow older, and tired, and weary, and eventually we give out.  Even the earth someday will perish.  It will wear out like an old garment and be tossed aside.  It will be changed.  Everything changes; this fact and God are the only constants.  Day by day, the situations of our lives evolve.  In one instant everything we have ever hoped for and dreamed of can be gone; swept away by a natural disaster or some other tragedy.

God alone is consistent.  God alone will remain in the end.  He brings down and lifts up.  His power is amazing.  It we look to creation and the earth and heavens, the vastness of His being is overwhelming.  Who are we that He should even pay attention to us.  Yet He does.  He cares immensely for us.  And He will in the end rebuild us if we let Him; no matter how far we have fallen.  He will rebuild His kingdom as well.  His plans will succeed as they always have.  And He will listen to us if we call.  We are all "the destitute" at one point or another in our lives.  We all hit the bottom sometime, and it is there that God will be, waiting for us to turn to Him.  In the end it is God and God alone.




Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


Rebuild us.  We rise and we fall.  We have good days and we have bad days.  We have dreams and failures.  We cling to our existence here and try to make something of it.  We desire to have consistency and eternal things.  What we are often desiring and do not know it, is You.  Help us to find You as You are all around us.  You will remain when all else fails.  We turn our eyes to You.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT


1.  What in my life needs to be rebuilt?  Why?

2. Do I feel destitute in any way?  Why?  If not now, when have I felt this way?  Did I turn to God or to other things for comfort?  

3. Do I ever think about the creation of the earth?  What do I believe about this?  Why?  Do I see God's hand in creation and nature?

4. What do I believe about God's eternal existence?  Do I ever contemplate the end of time?  What can I gain by thinking about these concepts?

5. What do I think it means to live in God's presence?  Do I want this for my children and myself?  What would it look like if my descendants were established before God?  What can I do personally to ensure this?

Daily Devotional - 1/27

Prayer Focus - Wants



Day 2
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others



Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.



Psalms 87


"The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: This one was born in Zion." ( vs. 6)


This is the desired end result - to have God write in the register of all the peoples - this one was born in Zion. Our national heritage often inspires us; how much more so should our spiritual heritage. I have been born in Zion. All of us who have truly become Christians have been born in Zion. Do we realize this? Do we live accordingly? We are citizens of God's kingdom and His ambassadors. We are representing Him.

What an exciting thought and what a responsibility as well! Let us rise to the occasion so we can retain our citizenship and enjoy all of its blessings.



Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


What a wonderful thought that we have been born in Zion. Help us to remember that we belong to such an awesome kingdom. We are a people now. We have a great heritage. Let us live so that others may see and worship You. Let us be worthy ambassadors for our spiritual homeland. Let us make You proud.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT


1. Have I been born in Zion? Is my name written in the register? How do I know? Are there any questions I need to resolve about my conversion or any doubts in my mind? How can I clear these up so that I have full confidence in my citizenship?


2. Am I inspired by my spiritual heritage and belonging? Do I think about what an honor this is? How will dwelling on my citizenship in Zion help me live better in the here and now?


3. Am I being a good ambassador for my spiritual country? What impression will others have of God and the kingdom because of me? Are there things I need to change to serve God better in my role as ambassador?


4. What blessings have I received due to my spiritual birth? What privileges do I enjoy because of this? Am I grateful or do I take advantage of my position in Christ?