Day Thirty
Deserving - Successful
Proverbs 31:31...Giver her the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates [of the city]...
A hearts' cry...Father, for weeks I have struggled releasing the message of this day's devotional. And for weeks, two phrases have echoed in my spirit...'what we deserve'...and...'around the throne'...May our hearts hear as this goes forth...
Father, my heart weeps over the condition of this nation, over the condition of the Christian community, over the condition of us, as a people. We 'deserve' to be heard, we 'deserve' to speak our minds, we'deserve' to argue our positions, we 'deserve' to have the best pay, we 'deserve' to have fine homes, we 'deserve' to have riches, we 'deserve' the best health care, we 'deserve' the best schools, we 'deserve' to live in peaceful surroundings, we 'deserve' to treat ourselves when things get difficult, we 'deserve', we 'deserve', we deserve'...for after all, we live in a land of freedom, we live in a land where we have our rights, we live in a land where we can espouse our positions and opinions, no matter who it wounds, we live in a land where we have 'rights', we have 'rights', we have 'rights'.
Father, my heart weeps over a nation that will rise to the occasion when tragedy strikes, we wave a flag, pass around wonderful emails, get stirred over an event, and then go back to business as usual...the pursuit of'me'.
Father, my heart weeps over a country which bears the name Christian nation, and is so steeped in sin that judgment is imminent, yet we live as if we 'deserve'.
Father, my heart weeps over people taking the name of 'Christian', who speak the cross, but do not walk the way of the Cross...and live as if we 'deserve'.
Father, my heart weeps because we, as a people, have become fattened by the ways of the world, our eyes dimmed and our ears dulled...and we live as if we 'deserve'.
Father, my heart weeps because we continue to meet hundreds and hundreds of people who do not believe that, while You are a Merciful God, sin will be judged, hell is real and we will stand before You and give account...and we live as if we 'deserve'.
Father, my hearts weeps because we have the belief of being deserving and having rights, but the fruit of our lives and the fruit of our lips testify against us. We refuse to hear the Truth when it pierces our hearts and makes us uncomfortable.
Father, my heart weeps...that Your Son took the punishment for our sin, punishment that He did not deserve, punishment that broke the hold of sin over us, the Cross that liberates us and sets us free, the Cross that enables us to become sons and daughters of the Most High God, the provision through the Cross that supports and gives us protection as we walk the path of the disciple...and we continue to look like the world, dress like the world, speak like the world, act like the world and even support the world by our acquiescence.
Father, this day, my prayer is...that Your Mercy would continue to flow, and it speaks volumes through this scripture found in the book of Job...Know therefore that God exacts of you less than your guilt and iniquity [deserve]...(Job11:6b).
May hearts be revealed and hearts be broken before You. Oh my Father, may we submit to Your hand, may we learn to open our innermost hearts and thoughts to You, allowing secrets and fleshly ways and attitudes and pride and rebellion and opinions and ego and habits and religious traditions and everything that makes up our personalities and life and ways. Father, may we truly surrender to You and Your chastisement and cleansing and teaching and discipleship and especially to Your Truth. Father, we desperately need our hearts to be molded by the washing of Your Spirit...
Father, my hearts' cry is that we come to understand, through humbleness of heart, Who is deserving...
Revelations 4, 5:11-14...
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne.
And He who was sitting was like a japer stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.
Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
And before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.
The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.
And the four living creature, each one of them having six wings, and full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,
"HOLY HOLY HOLY is the Lord God, the Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come."
And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever,
The twenty-four elders will fall down before the throne, saying,
"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created."
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,
Saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."
And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever."
And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshipped. (NASB)