Let's Approach!

TGIF Greetings :)

Mark 10:49 "Jesus stopped..."

Remember all the ruckus? Blind Bartimaeus heard Jesus was passing by. He shouted out for mercy. The ones with Jesus rebuked him, but Bartimaeus shouted all the more?

What was Christ's reaction? He stopped.

He put everything else aside and stopped. He was on His way to Jerusalem where soon all the events leading up to the crucifixion would unfold, but He interrupted His busy schedule and brought all His love, mercy, and attention on the one who was shouting for Him.

Amen and glory!

Let us never ever think that Jesus is uninterested, too busy, too tired, or unmerciful and/or aloof. If we call, He will stop - each and every time.

In fact, when we read the New Testament we learn that Jesus never ever turned anyone away. Anyone who approached Him was welcome, and everyone is still welcome. The key is that we need to make approach.

What are we waiting for? Let's approach!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You have stopped right now and are listening to me. All Your focus is on me, and I am grateful. You asked Bartimaeus what he wanted You to do for him; this is what I want You to do for me: __________________. In Your precious name I pray, Amen~

God Has Longings~

Good morning J

Today we switch gears and go back to a topic I promised we would discuss: Being bold before God.

Hebrews 4:16

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

That verse reminds me of a cartoon drawing I once saw. It was entirely in black and white and a clearly terrified man is before the huge, imposing throne of God shaking in his shoes and freaking out. God is sitting there—this enormous faceless presence pointing a finger the size of the Washington Monument. Not very welcoming at all, and totally contrary to the verse above.

I don’t know too many folks who would go boldly into an unwelcoming place. They may go because they are courageous, but then that implies there is something to be afraid about, or at the very least that caution is in order.

No courage needed to pray. No caution necessary. And please, no hesitation. Plus, no meekness, no hanging down your head down low, and no stuttering!

Can we all agree that in order for our walk with Christ to be vibrant we must take a leap of faith and believe His Word? And in order to believe It and Him, we have to know what It says. Every thing—and I do mean every thing—in my life is filtered through the Word. It’s comforting and effective. As such, no matter how hard others may try to paint a picture of a mean, indifferent God Who is detached and uncaring, I know different. And even in the moments when I might doubt, the Word reminds me that I am to be bold when approaching God because He welcomes me with open arms.

When my finite brain tries to picture an infinite God I think about my nephew, Danny. He is three years old and a tornado. Whenever he sees me, he runs to me, calling me Auntie, and hugs me and slobbers all over me, and I love it. Not that many folks get excited to see me anymore. Yet our gracious God feels this way about every single one of us.

Isaiah 30:18 “The Lord longs to be gracious to you…”

This means He wants to show us kindness, compassion and mercy. Do you need one or all three? The only precursor to receiving this is that we have to GO TO the throne. It all begins with prayer. And our posture should be one of boldness, which means “without hesitation.” When we don’t hesitate, when we are excited to pray, to approach God, it’s because we finally start to understand that He is thrilled to see us. He is gracious—not mean, vengeful, or dangerous. HE IS GRACIOUS. Full of grace, full of love, full of compassion, full of wisdom—full of whatever we need for our lives right now.

How might accepting this truth change the way we approach our Lord?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We boldly come to you right now knowing that You long to be kind and compassionate to us right now. We need it, so fill us up right now. In Jesus’ name, Amen~

Divine Favor Fave

Monday morning greetings:)

The second definition of the word bless (as defined by dictionary.com) is:
to request of God the bestowal of divine favor on.

I love how those words sound--Divine Favor...

Dictionary.com provides an eye-opening explanation as we peel back the layers of this verse. "Favor" means "friendly or kind regard; good will; approval; liking; favoritism; to be partial to; prefer; to help; assist; to do a kindness for;endorsing; provided with advantages; specially priviledged."

What makes it divine is that God Himself does all those things for us. Jabez had it right; who wouldn't want advantages and preferential treatment from God?

I have a license plate tag that says, "Jesus loves you, but I'm His favorite." But the truth is we're all His favorites. Hebrews 4:16 invites every single person to "have confidence, and approach God's throne, where there is grace. There they will receive mercy and find grace to help them just when they need it."

In other words, God is waiting to show us preferential treatment;
like Jabez, all we have to do is approach God.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for inviting us to approach You. This means You are approachable! We need and ask for Your divine favor--for help, approval, assistance, and advantages. Especially in this area ____________. Jabez has been a powerful reminder that You grant requests, so grant ours. In Jesus' name, Amen~





Have a beautiful day~