Psalm 141:1-2 (NASB) 
1 O Lord, I call upon You; hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to You!
2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You;
The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.

Revelation Chapter 5

Everyone dreams about what heaven will be like.  The Bible gives glimpses, like the one described in Revelation Chapter 5.  But the view is limited.  C.S. Lewis posited that this was by design by God.  If we really knew how beautiful heaven is, we wouldn’t want to stay on Earth to fulfill the plan God has for us here.

However, no matter what heaven is like, it is our relationship with God that really matters.  In Revelation 5, John is given a vision of heaven, but the focus is on God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

What can we extract from Revelation Chapter 5 about heaven?  Here are a few that I see.

1. Victory by God is assured.  Even with all of the tribulations of the end times, the final outcome is already set.  God wins and His children will live with Him forever in heaven.
2. Everything will be new.  Every song will be a new song.
3. All creation will focus on God.
4. Worship will be like nothing we have ever experienced.
5. Our prayers are important to God.  They are held in a precious, special place – golden bowls offered as incense to the Lamb.

All the prayers that we have or will offer will be there:  our praises to God, our prayers of thanks, our confessions of sin, and the prayers of supplication.  Our prayers today do not expire, but live for eternity. 

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”  Amen and Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Philippians 1:6 (NASB) 
6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB) 
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

My wife and I have been attending a Bible study at a neighbor’s home where a number of people attend.  There are many denominations represented, so the retired pastor who teaches it attempts to steer clear of doctrinal differences and focus on the gospel.  I have found that even so, it is inevitable that they occur.  At first, I thought this might be a problem for me.  But as I have listened to discussions, I realized that God was using this as a way for me to dig deep into the scriptures to help me understand and clarify my beliefs.  I know that some of these are closely held beliefs by sincere Christians who have come to conclusions different than mine.  There are many mysteries in the Bible that require us to carefully study, pray through, and not just merely read.

In early church history there were opposing groups surrounding whether a person can lose their salvation.  Calvin believed that once saved, saved forever.  It was one of the 5 points of Calvanism called Perseverance of the Saints.  An opposing group, believed that you could fall from grace and lose your salvation.  They were called the Armenians.  Denominations today have doctrinal statements that fall into one or the other of these.  And there are many other examples of doctrinal differences.  What is amazing is that the reason many people today attend a church is not because their doctrinal beliefs line up with that church.  Rather it is for other reasons, like the charisma of the pastor, the type of music used, or the types of programs that are offered.

We Christians will all probably be surprised when we get to heaven.  The mysteries will go away.  But in the meantime, we have been given the scriptures.  What a gift it is!

Can you describe the doctrines of faith that you believe?  Can you defend them in love; understanding the opposing view?  

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gospel of grace through Your Son, Jesus Christ.  Thank You for the mysteries of scripture that cause me to rely on the Holy Spirit to teach.  Thank You for giving me a thirst for the special revelation provided in the Holy Bible.  I pray that You would be honored in that pursuit and that I would use it to grow disciples for the glory of the Kingdom.  Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,   

Romans 8: 14-16 (NASB) 
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

What does it mean to be led by the Spirit of God?  Verse 14 says that if we are truly children of God, then we are being led.  What does that imply?  For me, it means that I am not asking God for what I want, but asking God to instill in me a desire to follow His will.  That is the scary part… for God may want me to do and be something that is not in my plan.  I don’t know about you, but I am really good at planning, at least I tell myself so.  I then justify it all by telling myself that it must be the Spirit that is leading me by putting that plan in my heart.  I wonder…  If I’m not praying for the Spirit to lead me, no matter the consequences, then I may be fooling myself.

God is our Father, our Abba.  The apostle Paul tells us that we need have no fear that we are simply a slave, rather we are adopted and can, in faith, follow Him.  In fact, the Spirit of God within us will confirm to us that we are children of God.  What a comfort.  

Without fear, we can stop our planning and let the Spirit lead us.

Holy Spirit, quiet my heart so that I can listen to Your leading.  Then give me the faith that I need to step forward and follow You.  I know that You will never leave me for forsake me.  It is the prayer of my heart.  I’m listening now.  Amen.   

Always praying for the glory of God,

Ephesians 2:4-9 (NASB)
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 
7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

I was reminded today how God’s mercy is continuous in our lives.  Even though I may see His mercy at points in time, or in particular situations, it is a mercy that falls upon us without interruption.

In the broken world we live in, the world often conceals our view of the great mercy of God.  Certainly, anyone who doesn’t call upon the name of Jesus will see only mercy that is a result of our actions.  It is a self righteous view that gives us credit for the good acts we see.  And even those of us that are children of God, our sin nature causes us to ask “why” when bad things happen, not seeing that the justice we really deserve is so much worse.

That is why the Incarnation is so amazing.  It was the act of a merciful God that is purely righteous and unable to look upon sin.  Mercy that began before time and continues for eternity.  It is unbounded love for His creation.

Jesus, I cannot comprehend the magnitude of love required to sacrifice yourself for us.  It is a merciful love that You share with the Father.  It is a mercy from the Holy Spirit that revives our cold dead hearts and sings love songs to us.  You are worthy of my unending worship and I praise Your name and I cry it out in joy.  Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Jeremiah 33:3 (NASB)
3 ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Armin Gesswein said that the promises of God are “the molds into which we pour our prayers.”

Praying the promises of God in scripture brings them alive to us.  We pray for what has already been foretold.  When we believe and expect them to be answered – that is faith.  It is taking God at His Word.

I have often prayed that God would increase my faith.  It is, after all, a gift from God.  But He has given us the means to increase our faith – to read His promises and then pray them back to Him.  What an honor to God to pray His vows; to have the faith to ask for what He has guaranteed to us.

Father, Your pledges are pure gold.  We can trust them, because we trust in You.  I pray that I would pour out prayers that would fit into the promise molds which You have given to us in Your Word.  Thank you that Your Word became flesh.  Thank you for Jesus, for I pray this in His name.  Amen.

Romans 8:28,31,32 (ESV)
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

In my last post, I mentioned the wife of a couple that recently died.  She was diagnosed with Leukemia a couple of years ago after a lifetime of no major illnesses.  I was fortunate to be able to attend her funeral last Saturday.  It was a great celebration of her life by her family and friends.

One close friend recounted a story about her that made an impact on me.  Her friend once asked her how she was doing and after the response made light of what she was going through, her friend looked her in the eye and said, “No, how are you really doing?”  

The answer she provided was unexpected.  “You know, cancer is often called the big C, when people don’t want to use the word.  It is understandably a word that people don’t like to talk about.  But I think of cancer as my little c.  My big C is Christ, and because I am His, everything will be alright.”

This was a woman of tremendous faith, who not only talked about it, but lived it each and every day.  It was a wonderful tribute to her at that service, but even more, it all pointed to Jesus, our Big C.

Heavenly Father, You are my Big C.  Help me to trust in You for all things, that I will respond to Your leading, that I will live my life knowing that You will provide all my needs.  I pray that your Holy Spirit will direct my steps today and that I will live my life in a way that is honoring to You.  Amen.

Faith fosters every virtue; unbelief murders every one. Thousands of prayers have been strangled in their infancy by unbelief.
Charles Spurgeon

Acts 11:16-17 (NASB)
16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
17 Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”

Mark 11:22-24 (NASB)
22 And Jesus *answered saying to them, “Have faith in God.
23 Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.
24 Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.

Prayer is so amazing, so powerful, so intimate, but it requires something that only God can provide – faith. There are those that can pray with passion and eloquence, but if they don’t believe already that it will be answered, then it will be left unanswered.

So, if you doubt, if you have a bit of uncertainty, first pray for faith. Asking for faith is a prayer that God will always answer. It is His will that we grow in faith. It is His desire that we draw closer in likeness to His son. So, pray for faith.

And then always remember that God promises an answer. He doesn’t say that it will always be answered immediately, but it will be answered. It will be answered in a way that glorifies Him and brings us joy. Pray for faith – then pray with faith.

Father, You are the creator of all things, even our faith. I pray that my faith would grow each day in a way that glorifies You. And that I would use that faith to pray in faith that Your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. All glory to Jesus, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Always praying for faith and the glory of God,

Mark 1:40-42 (NASB)
40 And a leper *came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
41 Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and *said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

It is very difficult to describe how out of character it was for Jesus as a Jew to touch an unclean person. Jewish law was especially strict with regard to how lepers were to be treated. They were to be kept completely separate. In fact the word quarantine comes from the Jewish practice, which was not something that was done in other parts of the world. It was a slow death, with no treatment available. Depending on the type of leprosy, the person infected could expect to live anywhere from 9 to 30 years, all of it in isolation, cut off from the rest of society and in constant pain. Rabbis would throw stones at them and run away if a leper came within visible distance.

The news of the compassion of Jesus must have touched the heart of the leper in Mark 1. He saw something different about Jesus. And so, he took the extraordinary step and approached Jesus with a prayer asking for healing. And Jesus responded as only the Son of God could do. He reached out and touched the leper and healed him.

As I read this passage today, it made me realize that I am that leper. Only Jesus can heal me. Only Jesus can save me. For I am as unclean as that leper. And yet He touched me.

Father, Jesus is the only path to salvation and I praise You for sending Him to save a sinner like me. I thank you that my heart that was unclean is now alive through the mercy and grace that You provided when You touch it. I pray that Your gospel will spread throughout the world and cleanse it from the disease of sin. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Luke 6:41 (NASB)
41 Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

Matthew 5:44-48 (NASB)
44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48 Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The line separating the belief that someone is evil and simply disagreeing with them about a topic seems to be growing ever smaller. With the availability of 24 hour news and social media, we seem to be turning our differences of opinion into positions of good versus evil. For when we do that, the other side can be condemned because of their evil nature and we can be justified because of our righteous beliefs. I guess that makes us feel good. But lately, I’ve been convicted by God that it doesn’t bring Him any glory.

Don’t get me wrong, there is true evil in the world. There is right and wrong. But when we extend that to positions of opinion, there is no path to loving our neighbors as ourselves. It also creates the self-righteousness and pride in ourselves that is the primary sin that I battle.

So how do we combat this ever escalating noise in our society? Jesus has the answer.

• Look at the sin in our life before we look for evil in others. If I do just that, there won’t be time left to look for their sin.
• Make the primary source of our knowledge the word of God rather than the views of others. Feeding on the truth of God is always better than alternate sources.
• Pray for those that we disagree with. We might find that they really aren’t our enemy.
• Then, when we are actually faced with true evil, we will be prepared to do battle.

Father, forgive me for my pride of life and self-righteous attitudes. Help me to love others even when their views don’t coincide with mine. Keep me alert to the true evil in this world. I pray that the Holy Spirit would expose my sin and bring about true repentance in my heart. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Acts 1:7-8 (NASB)
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

It must have been quite confusing to the disciples as Jesus speaks the last words of instruction to them just before He ascended into heaven. They had followed Him thinking He would overthrow the Roman Empire, but instead He was crucified. Then, amazing as it might seem, He returned to them just as He predicted in three days. Jesus was back again in their midst. But then, just as suddenly, He was gone once again. They must have been full of questions about when, where, how all of this was going to turn out. Jesus, in His last words tells them that this is not something that they are to know. The future is all under the authority of the Father.

But He tells them something quite wonderful. The helper He had described to them would come in a few days and would fill them with its power! They would be His witnesses throughout the earth. They were to share the Good News. And they did.

Heavenly Father, blessings and honor and glory to You, my King. I pray for your Holy Spirit to fill the chambers of my heart each and every day. I don’t need to know the when or the where, but only that I will be your witness of the Good News that Jesus brought to all. It is in His matchless name that I pray. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,