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‘The Lord has sworn and will not relent, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4 NKJV).

May 14, 2017

This psalm of David points to the coming Messiah who would be both priest and king. Jesus quoted from this psalm saying that David spoke “in the Spirit” (Matt. 22:43), for truly David’s words were Spirit inspired.

Since the offices of priest and king were separated in Israel, David had to look back to Melchizedek, whose name means “king of righteousness,” to find such a one. Melchizedek appears suddenly on the pages of the book of Genesis as the King of “Salem” (“shalom,” meaning “peace”) and “Priest of the God Most High” (Gen. 14:17). He blessed Abraham, who paid him a tithe, and then he is not heard from again until the Spirit brought him to David’s mind.

Who is this that would come in the “order of Melchizedek” that the Lord would swear and “not relent” to establish His eternal priesthood? It is Jesus the Christ. For Christ “arises in the likeness of Melchizedek” (Heb. 7:15) becoming both our King and our eternal and Great High Priest!

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37 NKJV).

May 12, 2017

On the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles when the Jews commemorated how the Lord had brought them through 40 years in the wilderness, Jesus stood up in the Temple and cried out with a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, come to Me and drink.” There was surely a great and noisy crowd in the Temple courts that day. Yet, above all the voices, Christ was heard crying out.

How appropriate. What perfect timing. During the Feast when the Jews remembered the rock from which Moses called forth water to quench Israel’s thirst, Jesus called spiritually thirsty people to come to Him to drink.

Why? Because “that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor.10:4).

“I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples, And I will sing praises to You among the nations” (Psalm 108:3 NKJV).

May 12, 2017

David declared his intent to praise the Lord not only among his own people in Israel, but to sing praises among all the peoples and nations of the world. This is evidence of God’s Spirit at work in David. For it was always God’s intent to bless the whole world through the seed of Abraham. As the Lord said to Abraham, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 22:18).

That “Seed” is Christ Jesus, the Son of David, the Son of God. And the Spirit that worked in David to declare God’s praise among the nations, now works in us, moving us to fulfill Christ’s commission to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19).

“Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man” (1 Samuel 10:6 NKJV).

May 11, 2017

Samuel anointed the young Saul to be king over Israel as the Lord had commanded him. Saul had sought the prophet’s help in finding his father’s donkeys, instead he found his true identity.

When Samuel began to tell Saul of his God-given identity, he resisted, saying, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?” (1 Sam. 9:21).

Saul’s identity was tied to his tribe, race, and nation, as all traditional identities are formed. Yet, God wanted to give him His Spirit and turn him “into another man,” the man who would rise above his former self and lead Israel as king.

Traditionally, identity has been formed by external cues, as Saul’s had been. Today, our modern culture encourages people to look within to find their identity independent of external realities, relying on whatever dreams or desires they possess. However, both of these approaches are poor mirrors of discovering the true self.

The true, Creator-given self can only be found in Christ. Come to Christ and He will give you a new name and a new identity. Looking to Christ, you will find your true self reflected in His face.

As the apostle John wrote, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

“Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.” (1 Samuel 9:16 NKJV).

May 10, 2017

The way God spoke to Samuel concerning the anointing of Saul was both relational and revealing. The instruction included what time, what family, for what purpose and even what moved God to do it. When Saul arrived the next day, God whispered in Samuel’s ear, “There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you.” Oh, what a wonderful relationship Samuel had with the Lord, that God would speak to him in such a way!

Not only did God speak, but notice what motived Him to anoint Saul–– it was the people’s “cry” that had come up to God. Not only does God speak, God hears. His relationship with Samuel was so close that He even revealed how what He heard from the people’s prayers moved Him.

Does God still reveal Himself as He did to Samuel? Is such a relationship with God possible today? Yes! And even more for those who are in Christ and seek His face.

“Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone” (John 6:15 NKJV).

May 9, 2017

After Jesus had miraculously fed the multitude, He “perceived” that the crowd had it in their minds to make Him king. So, He went into the mountain alone, staying there until nightfall. Jesus would not allow the people to determine His identity and purpose. The Father had not sent Him to be a temporal king, but a Lamb of God, taking away the sins of the world. He was establishing an eternal kingdom.

We do not get to make of Jesus what we will. He will not allow it. We must receive Him for who He claims to be. Then, willing submit to Him, asking Him to make of us what He wills.

“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29).

May 8, 2017

An hour is coming when the resurrecting life of Jesus will raise all of humanity bodily. The resurrection of the body is both the hope and the dread of the Christian faith. For the “voice” of Christ will call and all will “come forth” just as Lazarus did. Those who have believed in Jesus will be raised to eternal life with Him. But those who have not believed will be raised to “condemnation,” which is the judgement of God already passed against them because of their sin.

The resurrection of the righteous will come first, preceding the resurrection of the condemned. There is much more on this in the Scriptures, yet this point is to be understood: The resurrection of the body is central to Christ’s teaching. This is not to be understood as a metaphor, but a reality. Christ taught the resurrection of the dead, then He proved it by being raised from the dead on the third day.

‘But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord”‘ (1 Samuel 1:15 NKJV).

May 7, 2017

Hannah was barren. At her family’s annual visit to the Tabernacle at Shiloh to worship and bring offerings, she was so stricken with grief that she could only mouth the words to her prayers. Her lips moved, but no sound came forth. She cried out from her heart that the Lord would give her a son. She promised to give him back to the Lord all the days of his life, if only she might bear a male child.

Eli, the priest, was sitting at the door of the Tabernacle watching Hannah. He saw her lips moving without sound and wrongly assumed that she was drunk. He admonished her to put away her wine. But Hannah corrected him, explaining that what he had seen was not the result of wine being poured in, but from the sorrow in her soul that she was pouring out. So, Eli blessed her, asking the Lord to grant her petition.

Have you seen one like Hannah at your worship services or small group meetings? Don’t be like Eli and assume that you know what motivates her behavior. Wouldn’t it be better to ask what troubles her and offer to pray with her first? Eli ultimately makes it right. But only because of Hannah’s humility in answering.

Would those who are hurting like Hannah find a place of blessing and acceptance in our/your church?

“This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee” (John 4:54 NKJV).

May 6, 2017

The gospel of John recorded seven “signs” of Jesus. These were miracles, yet John chose to call them “signs” because he wanted to emphasize their purpose, namely, that they pointed to Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God.

John wrote, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31).

John wanted his readers to take their eyes off of the miracles and put them on the Miracle-worker, Jesus. In this second sign, Jesus healed the nobleman’s son in Cana without even going to see him. He healed him with a word. And the nobleman, an officer of the king, believed in Jesus as his true King from that day forward.

‘But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me”‘ (Ruth 1:20 NKJV).

May 5, 2017

When Naomi returned to her hometown of Bethlehem, the women of that small town hardly recognized her in such a downtrodden and depressed state. They asked one another, “Is this really Naomi?”

Naomi, whose name in Hebrew means, “pleasant,” had left Bethlehem years ago during a time of famine to go with her husband and her unmarried sons to live in the land of Moab. However, Moab became the place where she buried her husband and both of her sons. Now she was returning to Bethlehem with only the widow of one of her sons, a woman named Ruth. She told the women that had trouble recognizing her, “Don’t call me Naomi anymore. Call me Mara, which means bitter, because the Lord has dealt bitterly with me. For I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty.”

We tend to think in extremes when we are discouraged or depressed. We exaggerate the memory of a happier time in our former condition and overstate the troubles in our current one. Grief and loss easily turn into bitterness. Yet, as Naomi would soon learn, she had not returned as empty as she thought. For Ruth would soon show herself to be worth “seven sons” (Ruth 4:15). And Naomi would spend her last days in fullness and joy.

Are you empty or bitter today? Give it to the Lord in prayer. Who knows what wonderful blessings He holds in store for you tomorrow!