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⁷ When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them this parable: Luke 14, See also Proverbs 25:6, 7

This is another parable that is unique to the Gospel of Luke, the doctor. Jesus taught a lot from things around Him, so the people could relate to His words. Jesus observed people taking the best places, the most important seats at the Pharisee’s house. No one else had criticised them for doing that. Derek Prince pointed out that there tends to be two categories of sin within the church, respectable and unrespectable. Pride, which God detests, often goes overlooked, but smoking, drinking etc are definitely not regarded as respectable and are often talked (or gossiped) about the most.

⁸ ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. ⁹ If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, “Give this person your seat.” Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.

Ultimately the person who hosts the banquet, has the final say where the guests should sit, though some took the most prominent seats for themselves and Jesus reprimanded them for their selfishness.

⁹ If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, “Give this person your seat.” Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 

¹¹ FOR ALL THOSE WHO EXALT THEMSELVES WILL BE HUMBLED, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’ Luke 14

Self-exaltation should not be not a welcome trait in the Church, yet it’s very prevalent. Grasping and taking things into our own hands can lead to humiliation, often a hard lesson, but if truly learned it can bear good fruit.

¹⁰ But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, “FRIEND, MOVE UP TO A BETTER PLACE.” Then you will be honoured in the presence of all the other guests. Luke 14

Someday there will be a banquet in heaven, the wedding supper of the lamb. The seats will be allocated for all the guests and as scripture says, ‘So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’ Matthew 20:16 I suspect that those who are the most honoured guests will surprise many.

May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

¹⁰ On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, ¹¹ and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. Luke 13

Jesus regularly attended synagogue, but He often didn’t hold to the teachings and the attitudes of those who led the people there. In our day we have concepts such as, ‘political correctness’, demanding everyone conform to certain ideology. There’s no room for the individual, yet God’s Kingdom welcomes individuality. God doesn’t call us to be clones, He’s made us all unique! He created each of us as individuals, but we have the opportunity to unite with Him for the purpose of building His Kingdom here on earth. Conformity to stereotypes kills freedom in the Spirit. (Stereotypes take a group of people and reduce them to a few, often simplistic, characteristics, ignoring individual differences. Internet definition)

¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.’ ¹³ Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Luke 13

Jesus had pity on this poor woman and set her free from her suffering in the midst of the whole synagogue. The woman immediately began to praise God, she was in the House of God and expressed gave for her deliverance. However, the religious leader of the synagogue rebuked what had happened, because it didn’t conform to the religious traditions of the house. There is little joy in religion, but great joy and peace when God’s Spirit manifests.

¹⁴ Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, ‘There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.’ Luke 13

This religion was essentially rule keeping, with little or no power to help those in need. Modern day philosophy may attempt to dress things up in a more powerful and attractive guise, but it’s just as powerless. Real truth exists in Christ alone, not in following sterile doctrine.

¹⁵ The Lord answered him, ‘You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? ¹⁶ Then should not this woman, A DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM, (THE CHURCH HAS BEEN GRAFTED IN TO THIS SAME ROOT THROUGH CHRIST) whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?’ Luke 13

Jesus never attempted to placate the religious leaders of his day, instead He rebuked them. Harsh and controlling religion had no place before the Son of God. Jesus recognised this woman as a true daughter of Abraham, she had a legitimate claim for mercy from Abraham’s God and received it. We too are children of Abraham, the father of all who believe, and entitled to receive help from God. Jesus didn’t ignore this woman, He reached out to help her, in the face of stern opposition.

¹⁷ When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing. Luke 13

WE TOO SHOULD REJOICE IN OUR FREEDOM IN CHRIST.

May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

“NEVER WILL I LEAVE YOU;
    NEVER WILL I FORSAKE YOU.” Hebrews 13, Deuteronomy 31:6, 8

GOD IS FAITHFUL!

The words quoted by the writer of Hebrews were originally written by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy. Some 1460 years later these same words were rewritten for the New Testament Church. The Word of God is still as relevant today, despite the efforts of many to erase parts of it, even within the church.

³¹ For the Lord your God is a merciful God; HE WILL NOT ABANDON OR DESTROY YOU OR FORGET THE COVENANT with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath. Deuteronomy 4

We have a better Covenant today through the blood of Christ, but God confirmed His Covenant with His people Israel by His oath, which He will never fail to keep. Moses spoke these words of encouragement to Israel, to tell them that even when THEY HAD ABANDONED GOD, they could still turn back to Him in repentance and He would receive them. Similar to Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son returning to his father after wondering so far away. Luke 15

² ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the River Jordan into the land I am about to give to them – to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. … ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Joshua 1

God spoke directly to Joshua after the death of Moses. After forty years of delay God was about to bring His children into their inheritance. They’d followed the God of their forefathers for a long time, through many trials and God was at last releasing their inheritance to them. He promised Joshua that He would be with him and never leave him in all the battles that lay ahead. God’s people will face much opposition in the days ahead as the power of the enemy is taken back in this world. His Promise to us is still the same, ‘HE IS WITH US AND WON’T FORSAKE US’.

‘LET US GO ON! (with the Lord) TO COMPLETENESS AND MATURITY’. Hebrews 6:1

Bible teacher and Christian author Derek Prince has these three words on his gravestone in Jerusalem, ‘GOD IS FAITHFUL’. This was his simple message for posterity, to future generations, pointing people to the God he knew and served so well. Beware of people, even church leaders, who talk more about themselves and less about God, who alone is Head of the Church.

May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

33 Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. ² At the Lord’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey. THIS IS THEIR JOURNEY BY STAGES: Numbers 33

Much of the Bible history of the patriarchs and their descendants, Israel, relates to lengthy journeys and the events that happened to them during these occasions. They faced many obstacles and enemies as they journeyed and so may we, but God leads us as we’re willing to be led on our individual paths. We recently shared about Joseph and the course of his life. God was directly involved in the life of Joseph, but he didn’t understand what was happening to him.

¹⁴ But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. ¹⁵ I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.’ Genesis 40

Joseph gave the king’s cupbearer an accurate interpretation of his dream, but it wasn’t God’s time to release him from prison and promote him to be ruler of all Egypt, under Pharaoh. The truth is that we also may not understand events in our own lives at the time they happen, but like Joseph, only as we look back do we realise why we were on certain paths.

⁵ And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. Genesis 45

I believe that I have shared before about an early prayer trip to Greece with a team of intercessors. Early in the trip my passport had fallen out of my pocket in a cafe where we’d stopped briefly. One of the regular customers there worked in the airport and so he took my passport to the airport, where it was waiting for me on the next leg of our journey. I wasn’t aware of any of this for some time, but the Lord worked the whole situation out for me, such a blessing. God’s grace is upon us as we journey with Him on the paths of our lives.

The last thing I want to share is about a historic journey in modern times. Astronaut John Glenn’s first trip into outer space. Scott Carpenter, his backup for the mission, famously wished him, ‘GODSPEED, John Glenn’. Godspeed, a somewhat old fashioned word, ‘encapsulates the notion of Divine Intervention, acknowledging the existence of a higher power who  can bestow blessings and favour upon those who seek Him’. (Modified internet quote from gentreo)

We are all on a journey in this life, which will eventually take us out of time and into eternity. Know for sure that God is with us on the journey and help others when we can who are on the same path. GODSPEED ON YOUR OWN JOURNEY!

May the Lord bless us and keep us as we journey towards Him in eternity today. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

6 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, ² so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Deuteronomy 6

The Lord chose Israel’s inheritance for them and He still does so today. The time of our birth, the families we live in, the friends we have and the nations we’re born into are usually chosen in great measure for us. A lot of the framework of our lives is predetermined for us and we have to walk them out here in time, for eternity. The Lord delivered Israel from slavery and He’s about to do the same thing for the people of this earth once again. Pharaoh and the Egyptians fought until the last to keep Israel in their power, but God destroyed the armies of Egypt and set Israel free. The powers of this world are no match for the God of all creation, so we must expect our deliverance and a new day in this world.

⁴ Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ⁵ LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Deuteronomy 6

While speaking to Israel, the Lord said, ‘Hear O Israel’, listen to what I’m saying to you! The Law came through Moses, but even then the command was TO LOVE GOD WHOLEHEARTEDLY. This was echoed again by Christ to the Jews in the Gospels, e.g. Matthew 22:37, still as valid for the Church.

God commanded Israel through Moses to Love Him but He also told them to Fear Him, the two things have to be held in tension.

¹³ Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. ¹⁴ Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; ¹⁵ for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God Deuteronomy 6

He’s revealed as our loving Heavenly Father who sent His only Son to die for us, but He’s also the most high God of the whole universe who deserves our utmost respect and honour. It’s interesting to read the degree to which God was going to bless Israel in this account, (No good thing will He withhold!)

¹⁰ When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you – a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, ¹¹ houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant – then when you eat and are satisfied, ¹² be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Deuteronomy 6

God’s heart is to bless His people in every way but we in turn must Love and Fear Him, as our great God. He told Israel to do both before He brought them into their destiny.

May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

¹⁷ Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. ON THE WAY, HE TOOK THE TWELVE ASIDE AND SAID TO THEM, Matthew 20

THOSE WE WALK WITH, our close friends, share our secrets and the Lord is just the same. Of course, we’ll choose to be closer to some than others, but friends share the fabric of one another’s lives. Jesus shared as they were walking, but He drew the Twelve aside (there was a personal element) to tell them what was going to happen to Him in the near future. 

³² For the Lord detests the perverse
    BUT TAKES THE UPRIGHT INTO HIS CONFIDENCE. Proverbs 3

³² For the perverse are an abomination [extremely disgusting and detestable] to the Lord; but HIS CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNION AND SECRET COUNSEL are with the [uncompromisingly] righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him). Proverbs 3, Amplified Bible, Classic Edition, AMPC

Many verses in the Book of Proverbs explain the same truth by contrasting two opposites. The Lord will speak to and share counsel with those who are righteous but not with the corrupt. The closer our walk with the Lord the more we can know His heart for ourselves and others around us. Difficulties and troubles often drive us closer to our friends and also to the Lord. We said yesterday that Joseph didn’t understand the path his life had taken, but when the time came, God released him and lifted him very high in Egypt, a type of this world. May the Lord raise up many Josephs to high office and positions of influence at this time.

¹⁰ Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family,
    and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you –
    better a neighbour nearby than a relative far away. Proverbs 27

Sometimes God gives revelation and understanding so that we can pray and prevent tragedy. There are many examples of Believers today experiencing heavy burdens to pray for someone at the exact time they were in danger or facing life threatening situations. When we have cultivated sensitivity to the voice of the Spirit we can be used for Kingdom purposes today.

God revealed to Abraham that He had come down to see for Himself the wickedness in Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham, whose nephew Lot was living there, began to negotiate with God over His judgment of these towns.

¹⁷ Then the Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?

³² Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?’

He answered, ‘For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.’ Genesis 18

Abraham negotiated with God to be lenient for the sake of the righteous and God listened to him. Chuck Pierce recently released a word calling people to, ‘Negotiate with God’, concerning future events. He also said people had to get to, ‘Get to the bottom line’. There will be times when those who are walking with God, watching and waiting before Him, can turn away judgment that otherwise must come.

May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

¹⁸ The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
    and their inheritance will endure forever.
¹⁹ In times of disaster they will not wither;
    in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. Psalm 37

Some more great promises from Psalm 37. Verse 18 speaks of the supernatural element in the life of the righteous, God’s personal care for those He loves, continuing right on into eternity. The God of all creation cares for His children and grants us a lasting inheritance with Him in heaven.

The following verse, 19, is a further promise that God watches over us, even in times of hardship and difficulty. Our loving Father can keep His children in the hard times as well as the good times. Remember how God sent Joseph ahead of Abraham and his brothers into Egypt. Joseph was God’s man, but he was hidden from everyone in the land until God began the countdown by giving Pharaoh two dreams of future events. Nothing made any sense to Joseph about his life until God called him to the position prepared for him as, ‘A father to Pharaoh’.

⁸ ‘So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. Genesis 45

Like Joseph, some of us may be puzzled by the course our lives have taken, but God has the perfect plan to redeem us and set our feet back on the right path.

18 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² ‘Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.’ ³ So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. ⁴ But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Jeremiah 18

God revealed this principle to Jeremiah with a real life example, in the potter’s house. The potter could throw the physical clay on the wheel again and remake the pot into a new design. God can do the same for us His children.

⁵ Then the word of the Lord came to me. ⁶ He said, ‘Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?’ declares the Lord. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. Jeremiah 18

God can redeem our lives and situations and make us into new vessels, fit for Kingdom purposes, so long as we yield to His moulding on the wheel of life.

May the Lord bless and keep us today. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

¹ Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
² for like the grass THEY WILL SOON WITHER,
    like green plants THEY WILL SOON DIE AWAY. Psalm 37

I wrote on Psalm 37 in a couple of recent blogs and said it was one of my favourite psalms. Last night Johnny Enlow shared in depth from this psalm on Elijah Streams and interestingly he said that he believed the Lord was saying it would be a good psalm to memorise. It’s an acrostic psalm, the first word of each of the 22 stanzas, begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. He said he also felt that believers would benefit from getting the words of the psalm directly into their blood stream, like an intravenous injection. The broadcast was titled Psalm 37 I.V.

Psalm 37 is speaking to the times in which we are alive. The wicked are not going to rule God’s people and this earth indefinitely, as it says in verse 2 above, ‘they will soon wither and soon die away’. We don’t know how long ‘soon’ will be in Earth time, but ‘the times they are a changing’ as Bob Dylan sang back in 1964.

³ Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37

At the same time as judgement comes upon the wicked God promises blessings will come to the righteous, ‘those who trust in Him and do good’.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ he will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication (the justice of your cause) like the noonday sun. Psalm 37

I believe that the righteous are literally going to shine, manifest the Glory of God, in the times ahead. It will be an era of increasing light for God’s people and increasing darkness for those who oppose Him and His Kingdom.

⁷ Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37

Believers must take a stand for righteousness and for the Lord in these days. The enemy is fighting to keep people enslaved under his domination, but the Lord is on the battlefield now and his grip is weakening. No matter what struggles lie ahead, God is moving on behalf of His people.

⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret – it leads only to evil.
⁹ For those who are evil will be destroyed,
    BUT THOSE WHO HOPE IN THE LORD WILL INHERIT THE LAND. Psalm 37

This psalm repeats that GOD’S CHILDREN WILL INHERIT and when Israel came into their inheritance they drove out false worship. God also told Abraham, the father of all who believe, that the sin of the Amorites had not yet reached its fullness. Genesis 15:16 Sin is reaching and has reached new levels on the earth today, a sure sign that God is soon to intervene. God is very patient but He won’t be mocked and there always comes a time when He says enough.

You may not or may not choose to memorise Psalm 37, but you can read it and lay hold of some of the great promises in it. This is written for our time and it will surely come to pass.

May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

¹ BLESSED is the one
    who does NOT WALK IN THE COUNSEL OF THE WICKED
or STAND IN THE WAY OF SINNERS
    or SIT IN THE SEAT OF MOCKERS,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night. Psalm 1

KEEP MOVING, DON’T GET DISTRACTED (From our Walk) AND SLOW DOWN (Standing) OR WORSE STILL STOP (Sitting listening to Unbelievers).

Cd is the symbol for DRAG COEFFICIENT, a measure of the Resistance on something moving forward e.g. a vehicle, such as a car or lorry moving forward through the air. The vehicle needs to PUSH THROUGH THE AIR TO KEEP GOING. We may not realise that we also have to PUSH THROUGH invisible resistance in this world to keep going FORWARD with the Lord. There is an invisible DRAG exerted upon all believers because of the presence of sin in this world.

Vehicle manufacturers have Research and Development departments with large budgets to try and improve the efficiency of their products, so that DRAG is reduced. Their products are then more economical to run and more desirable to purchase.

The best way for us to reduce the DRAG on our lives is to keep in step with the Lord and His Spirit. The second verse in the opening psalm tells us to delight in the written word and feed ourselves or our souls upon it. We should also learn to listen to the Rhema word of God’s Spirit, sent to help and guide us day by day. Walking with the Lord and being yielded to Him is the way to overcome the dark forces opposing us in this world. We can and must overcome the world, the flesh and the devil, just as the Lord did for us.

I would to finish today with a quote from Derek Prince’s book, ‘Chords from David’s Harp’.

““Blessed”: the opening word of the Psalms contains the essence of all that is to follow. (The 150 psalms open with that single word “Blessed”). The blessings they unfold flow in two directions: from God to man, and from man back again to God.

David goes on to sum up the blessedness promised to man in one brief, expressive sentence: “Whatever he does prospers.” How can you be such a person – blessed of God so that whatever you do prospers? David lays down five conditions, the first three negative (Our need to Overcome the DRAG), the last two positive.”

² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither –
    WHATEVER THEY DO PROSPERS. Psalm 1 

May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

^{11 ‘}For I KNOW THE PLANS I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘PLANS to prosper you and not to harm you, PLANS to give you hope and a future.’ Jeremiah 29

We said earlier this week to NEVER FORGET that, ‘GOD IS FOR YOU’. Jeremiah gives us confirmation of this when the Lord spoke through him to Israel after they had been carried off into exile to Babylon for seventy years. God had warned Israel again and again to stop sinning against Him but they refused to listen and so they were taken away from their land and homes. But in their exile God still acknowledged that they were His people and that He had only GOOD PLANS, mentioned three times in one verse, for them. GOD STILL HAS HIS PLANS FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US, TO BLESS US AND HELP US. God was trying to encourage the exiles in a very difficult situation, so He gave Jeremiah this word for them. Your circumstances may appear to be one way, but God is ALWAYS ABOVE THE CIRCUMSTANCES. Take heart and look to Him, He’s faithful in every situation.

The enemy and our circumstances may conspire to make us think that God has forgotten us, but that simply isn’t true. So long as we’re willing to go God’s way in our lives He’ll always be there to help and support us.

’Get ready for a MOMENTOUS APRIL for we the people’. This was the title of a word by Johnny Enlow on Elijahstreams last night. I believe it is a parallel word to God’s children today to the word God gave Israel through the prophet Jeremiah.

28 The wicked flee though no one pursues,
    BUT THE RIGHTEOUS ARE AS BOLD AS A LION. Proverbs 28:1

This was one of the introductory verses last night. God doesn’t want us cowed down by our situations, He wants us to rise up in faith and do exploits in His Name. One of the Lord’s Names is the ‘LION OF JUDAH’, we serve a mighty God and He has important PLANS for all of us in these days. Never lose heart, God is with us.

May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.