Down from the Mountaintop

Down from the Mountaintop, Mark 9:2-9

1 AND JESUS said to them, Truly and solemnly I say to you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste death before they see the kingdom of God come in [its] power.
2 Six days after this, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves. And He was transfigured before them and became resplendent with divine brightness.
3 And His garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller (cloth dresser, launderer) on earth could bleach them.
4 And Elijah appeared [there] to them, accompanied by Moses, and they were holding [a protracted] conversation with Jesus.
5 And Peter took up the conversation, saying, Master, it is good and suitable and beautiful for us to be here. Let us make three booths (tents) — one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.
6 For he did not [really] know what to say, for they were in a violent fright (aghast with dread).
7 And a cloud threw a shadow upon them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My Son, the [most dearworthy] Beloved One. Be constantly listening to and obeying Him!
8 And looking around, they suddenly no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus only.
9 And as they were coming back down the mountain, He admonished and expressly ordered them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man should rise from among the dead. AMP


This is one of those recounting of the events in Jesus Ministry that I really relate to. If you ever been to a conference, a retreat or had any other time when God manifest Himself in His majesty, power it is a place you do not want to leave.
Going back to everyday life can either seem like an exciting new opportunity or drudgery. If you are not careful you can even get pre-occupied with something that was said at the event and lose out on all of the good things that occurred.
Remember these great times with God are meant to chare us and challenge us to let God do more though us. If we are not careful we can become lost in His presence and missing in action on the battlefield of His choosing.
There is a time for both and both are part of God’s plan for us!

FELLOWSHIP

We are starting a New 20 day devotional study on Monday August 2nd, 2010 at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=237088564302 
Join this faceBook Group to get this devotional by email daily.
The First 10 days will study, Recognizing Christ in Others
The second 10 days will study, Where Two or Three Are Gathered

FELLOWSHIP
       Engaging with other disciples in the common activities of worship, study, prayer, celebration and service, which sustain our life together and enlarge our capacity to experience more of God.
       From the first pages of Genesis, when God created a mate for Adam, through the pages of Paul’s Letters, with his timeless advice on living together in joy and love, to the final pages of Revelation, where we see a glimpse of the company we will keep in heaven, it’s clear that the Christian life is to be a life lived together. Although Jesus often prayed in solitude, He did not travel Judea alone during His Ministry, but called the disciples to travel and minister with Him. Paul’s description of the Church as the Body of Christ (Rom 12:5; 1 Cor 12:12-26; Eph 4) makes it clear that each of us has different gifts and abilities and only together can the Church run smoothly for God’s glory.
       Fellowship can bring us great joy, encouragement, and comfort. It can also bring frustration and disappointment, as we bump up against each other’s sins, shortcomings, and failures to hear and follow God’s voice in our lives. The amount of text that Paul devotes to solving the problems of community living is testimony to just how hard it can be. One way we can sustain our fellowship and focus it upon God is by sharing Communion together. Jesus commanded us to gather together and remember Him when we ate the bread and drank of the cup. Following Jesus’ example at the Last Supper and the example of the early Church, this sharing is one way we focus our fellowship on Jesus.
      The whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love..—Ephesians 4:16
Day 206 Spiritual Practice: Recognizing Christ in Others
Day 207 The Good Work of Unity
Day 208 Growing Together
Day 209 Building Up Christ’s Body
Day 210 Many Members, One Body
Day 211 How to Live in Community
Day 212 Joy in Fellowship
Day 213 Passing Judgment on One Another
Day 214 Loving Our Brothers and Sisters
Day 215 Pleasing Our Neighbors
Day 216 Spiritual Practice: Where Two or Three Are Gathered
Day 217 Devoted Fellowship
Day 218 Life Among the Believers
Day 219 The Worldwide Community
Day 220 Meeting Together
Day 221 Bearing One Another’s Burdens
Day 222 Pray for One Another
Day 223 Sharing in the Lord’s Supper
Day 224 Be at Peace Among Yourselves
Day 225 That They May Be One
The Material above is from the book, ‘A Year With God,’ Edited by Richard Foster

I Went Away at Once

I Went Away at Once, Galatians 1:15-24

15 But when He, Who had chosen and set me apart [even] before I was born and had called me by His grace (His undeserved favor and blessing), saw fit and was pleased [Isa 49:1; Jer 1:5.]
16 To reveal (unveil, disclose) His Son within me so that I might proclaim Him among the Gentiles (the non-Jewish world) as the glad tidings (Gospel), immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood [did not consult or counsel with any frail human being or communicate with anyone].
17 Nor did I [even] go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles (special messengers of Christ) before I was, but I went away and retired into Arabia, and afterward I came back again to Damascus.
18 Then three years later, I did go up to Jerusalem to become [personally] acquainted with Cephas (Peter), and remained with him for fifteen days.
19 But I did not see any of the other apostles (the special messengers of Christ) except James the brother of our Lord.
20 Now [note carefully what I am telling you, for it is the truth], I write this as if I were standing before the bar of God; I do not lie.
21 Then I went into the districts (countries, regions) of Syria and Cilicia.
22 And so far I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Christ in Judea (the country surrounding Jerusalem).
23 They were only hearing it said, He who used to persecute us is now proclaiming the very faith he once reviled and which he set out to ruin and tried with all his might to destroy.
24 And they glorified God [as the Author and Source of what had taken place] in me. AMP
Reread Paul’s Holy Spirit breathed testimony and go back in your own life to review how the grace of God the great Creator of all that is has been or ever will be was and has been revealed in your life. Rejoice as you remember how He has repeatedly demonstrated His love toward you even in your weak times or failures. Pray for Him to reveal His glory and majesty in your life.
Ps 90:16-17
Let Your work [the signs of Your power] be revealed to Your servants, and Your [glorious] majesty to their children. 17 And let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands — yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it. AMP

Come Away and Rest a While

Come Away and Rest a While, Mark 6:31-47

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. 35 When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; 36 send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat." 37 But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?" 38 And he said to them, "How many loaves have you? Go and see." When they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish." 39 Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And all ate and were filled; 43 and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men. 45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. NRSV
Richard Foster in A Year With God says the flowing.
The Story of the loaves and the fishes, one of Jesus’ best-remembered crowd experiences, is both preceded and followed by a time of solitude. Jesus craves solitude and rest not for selfish reasons, but because this is where the spiritual resources for ministry are found.
“It is in deep solitude that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brothers. The more solitary I am, the more affection I have for them.” Thomas Merton, from his journals

Rising Early to Pray

Rising Early to Pray, Mark 1:32-39

32 When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were cdemon-possessed. 33 And the whole city had gathered at the door. 34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.
35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. 36 Simon and his companions searched for Him; 37 they found Him, and said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You." 38 He said to them, "Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may 1preach there also; for that is what I came for." 39 And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. NASU
Richard Foster in the devotional book, “ A Year With God,” tells us the following;
Jesus’ Fame Had spread to the point that “the Whole City” was gathered to watch Him heal. Yet in the midst of this hectic time Jesus rises early to go pray in a deserted place; so intent is He on solitude that even the disciples do not know where He is gone. When they find Him, Jesus is ready, refreshed enough from His time alone with God to continue His work in the neighboring towns. This instance is one of several in which mark mentions that Jesus and the disciples go to a deserted place to rest and pray. Our own spiritual formation will be strengthened if, in our busy, crowed, and noisy lives, we find regular times and places for quiet, for prayer, for listening to God. Time alone with God gives us renewed energy to live fully engaged with the world.
Do you neglect your need to be alone to recharge?
“Every so often I need OUT; something will throw me into disproportion, and I have to get away from everybody, away from all those people I love most in the world, in order to regain a sense of proportion.” Madeleine L’Engle, A Circle of Quiet

The Crowds Were Looking for Jesus

The Crowds Were Looking for Jesus, Luke 4:42-44

42 And when daybreak came, He left [Peter's house] and went into an isolated [desert] place. And the people looked for Him until they came up to Him and tried to prevent Him from leaving them.
43 But He said to them, I must preach the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom of God to the other cities [and towns] also, for I was sent for this [purpose].
44 And He continued to preach in the synagogues of Galilee. AMP
I am so glad that Jesus allowed us to see Him taking time to get away from the crowds and seek God. It not only demonstrates His humanity, but even more His reliance on the Father’s will and plans.
Often we are treated poorly if we do not have every minute of our lives all mapped out and scheduled. Thank you Father that you have a plan for us and just as Jesus had to seek you to walk out your plan for Him, we can have confidence, that as we seek you, you will direct our lives as well.
Thank You for the light and wisdom for the next step for each of us! Your Word is a light for our path!

Shaping the Soul

Shaping the Soul, Exodus, 3:1-10

3 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." 4 When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." 6 He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
7 Then the LORD said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them.10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt."

How has God shown up in your life?

In the Wilderness

In the Wilderness, Luke 4:1-15(4:1-2a)
1 THEN JESUS, full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in [by] the [Holy] Spirit
2 For (during) forty days in the wilderness (desert), where He was tempted (tried, tested exceedingly) by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they were completed, He was hungry. [Deut 9:9; 1 Kings 19:8.]
3 Then the devil said to Him, If You are the Son of God, order this stone to turn into a loaf [of bread].
4 And Jesus replied to him, It is written, Man shall not live and be sustained by (on) bread alone but by every word and expression of God. [Deut 8:3.]
5 Then the devil took Him up to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the habitable world in a moment of time [in the twinkling of an eye].
6 And he said to Him, To You I will give all this power and authority and their glory (all their magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, and grace), for it has been turned over to me, and I give it to whomever I will.
7 Therefore if You will do homage to and worship me [just once], it shall all be Yours.
8 And Jesus replied to him, Get behind Me, Satan! It is written, You shall do homage to and worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve. [Deut 6:13; 10:20.]
9 Then he took Him to Jerusalem and set Him on a gable of the temple, and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down from here;
10 For it is written, He will give His angels charge over you to guard and watch over you closely and carefully;
11 And on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. [Ps 91:11,12.]
12 And Jesus replied to him, [The Scripture] says, You shall not tempt (try, test exceedingly) the Lord your God. [Deut 6:16.]
13 And when the devil had ended every [the complete cycle of] temptation, he [temporarily] left Him [that is, stood off from Him] until another more opportune and favorable time.
14 Then Jesus went back full of and under the power of the [Holy] Spirit into Galilee, and the fame of Him spread through the whole region round about.
15 And He Himself conducted [a course of] teaching in their synagogues, being recognized and honored and praised by all. AMP
There are several points of worth noting in this passage, so I have expanded our study beyond the original to help us benefit from them.
1. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness and then after being tested and using God’s Word to battle the Devil with the sword of the Spirit came out of the wilderness in the power of the Spirit.
2. Once He had fought and won with the Word of God he went up in power to teach in the Synagogue and people honored Him because of God’s favor, honor or glory upon Him.
3. When tempted He let the devil know he was using the Word and authority of God to answer by using a phrase common in Jewish teaching “it is written,” which signified that He was quoting the Word breathed by God to Hid servants.
4. Satan attempted to give Him everything that Satan thought Jesus wanted; only to be rebuked by the Word of God, which demonstrated that what Jesus wanted most was to do the will of the father.
5. He was able to sand against the devil by God’s authority in the Word and by the work of the Holy spirit in His life.
6. Jesus defeated the devils plans in the wilderness, but the Word lets us know that he only went away until there was a more opportune time to defeat or delay God’s purpose through Jesus. This is a warning to us to be on guard so that the world, the flesh and the devil cannot find a more opportune time to defeat or delay God’s purpose in us. We must be on guard and watch over the five gates into our lives, which are our five senses.
7. The wilderness is a place where God can speak to us and minister to us in awesome ways. It is also a place where the attacks of the enemy can be defeated as we fight using the Sword of the Spirit as we are empowered by the Spirit of God. These battles equip us to do great exploits for our God!

Retreat With God

Retreat With God, Matthew 14:22-23

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, NRSV
Dr. Richard J. Foster in ‘A Year With God’, makes the following statements.
Most of us probably live too far from mountains to climb one regularly to pray, but we have other ways to be alone with God. Sometime within the next ten days, build on your practice of daily solitude by taking an entire day or at least an afternoon to spend alone with God. If you absolutely cannot get away now, plan the time when you will do it, mark it on your calendar, and make a promise to yourself, to God, and to another person that you will honor it. It is so easy to let the rhythm of our daily lives carry us away. Remind yourself that this time alone with God will be to refresh and nourish you for the rest of your life, that it will not be time wasted when you could be doing other necessary things, but rather time that you need in order to get rest and direction.
Author and former executive Emilie Griffin writes, “When there is no time to do it, that’s when you most need to unclutter the calendar and go apart to pray. When the gridlock of your schedule relentlessly forbids it is the time you most need retreat. That is when your heart beats against the prison walls of your enslavement and says, ‘Yes, Lord, I want to spend time with you.’”3
You can take a solitary hike (up a mountain, just as Jesus did, if that is possible for you and appeals to you), drive out to a forest, or visit another quiet place. Another option is to look into staying at a retreat center for a night or an entire weekend. Take your Bible if you wish, but you may prefer just spending the time praying or talking to God. A good resource for preparation is Emilie Griffin’s Wilderness Time. But do not feel the need to plan too much; just remember that you are deliberately creating an open, empty space in which you can be found by God.

Opening Ourselves To God

Opening Ourselves, Revelation 1:1-20(9-11)

1 [THIS IS] the revelation of Jesus Christ [His unveiling of the divine mysteries]. God gave it to Him to disclose and make known to His bond servants certain things which must shortly and speedily come to pass in their entirety. And He sent and communicated it through His angel (messenger) to His bond servant John,
2 Who has testified to and vouched for all that he saw [in his visions], the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who reads aloud [in the assemblies] the word of this prophecy; and blessed (happy, to be envied) are those who hear [it read] and who keep themselves true to the things which are written in it [heeding them and laying them to heart], for the time [for them to be fulfilled] is near.
4 John to the seven assemblies (churches) that are in Asia: May grace (God's unmerited favor) be granted to you and spiritual peace (the peace of Christ's kingdom) from Him Who is and Who was and Who is to come, and from the seven Spirits [the sevenfold Holy Spirit] before His throne, [Isa 11:2.]
5 And from Jesus Christ the faithful and trustworthy Witness, the Firstborn of the dead [first to be brought back to life] and the Prince (Ruler) of the kings of the earth. To Him Who ever loves us and has once [for all] loosed and freed us from our sins by His own blood, [Ps 89:27.]
6 And formed us into a kingdom (a royal race), priests to His God and Father — to Him be the glory and the power and the majesty and the dominion throughout the ages and forever and ever. Amen (so be it). [Ex 19:6; Isa 61:6.]
7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth shall gaze upon Him and beat their breasts and mourn and lament over Him. Even so [must it be]. Amen (so be it). [Dan 7:13; Zech 12:10.]
8 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord God, He Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty (the Ruler of all). [Isa 9:6.]
9 I, John, your brother and companion (sharer and participator) with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patient endurance [which are] in Jesus Christ, was on the isle called Patmos, [banished] on account of [my witnessing to] the Word of God and the testimony (the proof, the evidence) for Jesus Christ.
10 I was in the Spirit [rapt in His power] on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a great voice like the calling of a war trumpet,

11 Saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. Write promptly what you see (your vision) in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia — to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.

12 Then I turned to see [whose was] the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,

13 And in the midst of the lampstands [One] like a Son of Man, clothed with a robe which reached to His feet and with a girdle of gold about His breast. [Dan 7:13; 10:5.]
14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, [as white] as snow, and His eyes [flashed] like a flame of fire. [Dan 7:9.]
15 His feet glowed like burnished (bright) bronze as it is refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. [Dan 10:6.]

16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth there came forth a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full power at midday. [Ex 34:29.]
17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last, [Isa 44:6.]
18 And the Ever-living One [I am living in the eternity of the eternities]. I died, but see, I am alive forevermore; and I possess the keys of death and Hades (the realm of the dead).
19 Write therefore the things you see, what they are [and signify] and what is to take place hereafter.
20 As to the hidden meaning (the mystery) of the seven stars which you saw on My right hand and the seven lampstands of gold: the seven stars are the seven angels (messengers) of the seven assemblies (churches) and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. AMP

I have included the entire chapter to help us see the whole picture or context of verses 9-11. Our focus is on John being in a place of prolonged solitude when he has this encounter with God. God surprises John and unfold one of the greatest revelations in the Bible. Verse 20 speaks of a hidden mystery which is revealed. Reading through the book of Revelation causes us to realize how many mysteries there are and how important it is to not put our understanding in where God has not made clear what something means.
More important to us today is the principle which if stated as a mathematic formula would go something like this;
More time alone with God = a greater encounter with God = a stronger and deeper relationship with Him & a greater transformation of our lives into His image.
Today and in the next 10 days seek to discipline yourself to have an increasing block of time with God.

Yet I Am Not Alone

Yet I Am Not Alone, John 16:29-33


29 His disciples said, "Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech! 30 Now we know that you know all things, and do not need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from God." 31 Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? 32 The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. 33 I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!"
Again Jesus tells the disciples that although the people around him will desert him, he will not be alone because God is with him. History is replete with stories of Christians who have been alone for extended periods of time, voluntarily in deserts or involuntarily in prison, but who came through the experience knowing that God was with them.
What do Jesus’ words teach you about the difference between loneliness and solitude? In days and weeks ahead, if you have not already done so, read a book about the desert fathers and mothers to inform your understanding of solitude. You might want to start with John Chryssavgis’s, In The Heart of the Desert: The Spirituality of the desert Fathers and Mothers, a compilation of their sayings accompanied by original commentary by Chryssavgis.

John Chryssavgis’s, In The Heart of the Desert: The Spirituality of the desert Fathers and Mothers http://books.google.com/books?

He Is With Me

He Is With Me, John 8:28-29 & John 14:6-11

28 So Jesus added, When you have lifted up the Son of Man [on the cross], you will realize (know, understand) that I am He [for Whom you look] and that I do nothing of Myself (of My own accord or on My own authority), but I say [exactly] what My Father has taught Me.
29 And He Who sent Me is ever with Me; My Father has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him. AMP
John 14:6-11
6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.
7 If you had known Me [had learned to recognize Me], you would also have known My Father. From now on, you know Him and have seen Him.
8 Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father [cause us to see the Father — that is all we ask]; then we shall be satisfied.
9 Jesus replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father?
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? What I am telling you I do not say on My own authority and of My own accord; but the Father Who lives continually in Me does the (His) works (His own miracles, deeds of power).
11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the sake of the [very] works themselves. [If you cannot trust Me, at least let these works that I do in My Father's name convince you.] AMP
My Comments
It is important for Jesus to reveal His relationship and oneness with the Father, both for the Jewish people and for us today so that we see that He and Father are one and that He is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. This is also needed so that the Satan and followers of false religions cannot say with any authority that Jesus is simply a prophet or teacher as the Muslims and others who want to deny Jesus as Messiah do. The Gospels proclaim Jesus as the Son of God and The Son of Man. Although this truth is hard for our limited minds to understand it is true according to the Bible which is the only authoritative Word of God.
Solitude can give us the opportunity to encounter God in a deeper way, His living and written Word, as well as the presence of the Holy Spirit. This interaction can make us deeply aware of the Oneness of the God who is three in one. He also makes us aware of His desire to be one with us in every moment of our life.
Meditate on these verses. “Believe Me (Jesus) that I am in the Father and the Father in Me (Jesus).

I Sat Alone

I Sat Alone, Jeremiah 15:15-21

15 O LORD, you know; remember me and visit me,
and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance do not take me away; know that on your account I suffer insult.
16 Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.
17 I did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice; under the weight of your hand I sat alone, for you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail.
19 Therefore thus says the LORD: If you turn back, I will take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. It is they, who will turn to you, not you who will turn to them.
20 And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the LORD.
21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless. NRSV
MY COMMENTS
It is both a joyous and fearful thing to be called into ministry for God. It does not matter if it is to a fivefold office from Ephesians 4:10 or a market place ministry as a cook or a politician. When we say yes to god there is great joy and responsibility to be a vessel of honor for God.
Satan, aka, Lucifer is jealous of God and therefore of us who serve God. His schemes to distort, delay or destroy everything God is doing in and through us. Along with that fact is the old saying, “If you are in the Light the darkness is not happy with you.”The world, the flesh and the devil have one thing in common which causes them to not like you if you are a believer; you are in the light of God. So as one old pastor told me, stay in the light no matter how fierce the storm and you will win the battle.
When you think you are alone in serving God turn toward God and He will show you the way!

I Alone Am Left

I Alone Am Left, I Kings 19:1-10
19 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow." 3 Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." 5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat." 6 He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 The angel of the LORD came a second time, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." 8 He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. 9 At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."NRSV
My Comments
I have seen and experienced the Mount Carmel aftermath phenomenon. This is the experience that comes when God has done a great work though you and then there is a backlash that comes against you. It has always seemed odd to me that you could have an awesome victory in God and then feel defeated, afraid or otherwise like a loser when you were just a member of the team that had a great victory.
I have since learned from studying spiritual warfare that this counter attack of Satan is designed to rob you of the victory and to keep you from marching into another victorious battle against Satan and his forces. Remember Satan comes, to kill, steal and destroy. In the counter attack he seeks to either stop you or delay you from the next victory. The solution is to run to a place of solitude with God in worship, prayer and study and meditation on His Word. This will refresh and strengthen you and keep the enemy from taking advantage of you during the post victory recuperation period. Without knowing it, Satan actually helps us to remember it is God who brings the victory and causes us to run to God for renewal and to get God’s plan for the next battle.
Remember with God you are never alone. In addition God has strategically placed His people so that when the time is right they will run into the battle with you. They are either in battle or being prepared even when we do not know about them. Trust Him to be your resource and he will provide all that is needed in resources and people when the time is right. Are you seeking God for the renewal and in preparation of the battle?
Richard Foster in, “A Year With God,” made the following observations.
Once again Elijah goes into the wilderness for refuge. Elijah wasn’t necessarily trying to find God; he fled because he was afraid. But even in Elijah’s running away, God met him in his solitude. Elijah lived a fantastic life, seeing God’s might firsthand as few others have. Yet even Elijah needed times of solitude, where God could meet him alone, giving refreshment and guidance.
Have you ever sought solitude for a reason other than trying to meet God and had an experience of God anyway? What is it about being alone that allows God to come to us more easily?

Hide Yourself

Day 190, 07/17/2010, Hide Yourself, I Kings 17:1-6

17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbeq in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." 2 The word of the LORD came to him, saying, 3 "Go from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." 5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD ; he went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the wadi. NRSV
Have you ever felt hidden, and that no one cared enough to reach out to you? How would you react if God said hide yourself and then had ravens deliver you food? Wow! Talk about God going the extra mile to care for you…
God knows what we need, when we need it and how He plan s on getting it to us.

Spending the Night in Prayer

Day 189, 07/16/2010, Spending the Night in Prayer, Luke 6:12-16

12 Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. NRSV
The material below is from the book “ A Year With God” by Richard Foster.
Two Significant Emphases in Luke are prayer and solitude. All the Gospel writers mention prayer, of course, but Luke takes care to show how Jesus’ prayer practice was often linked to solitude: “(Jesus) would withdraw to deserted places and pray” (5:16) “At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place” (4:12). Other Gospel writers mention his calling of the twelve apostles, but not that he prayed all night about it, as we see here. And they relate his challenge to the disciples, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” but not that he was praying by himself before he put the question:”Jesus was praying alone, with only disciples near him. (9:18).
When have you spent time in solitude and prayer before making a big decision? What was the result?
It is so refreshing that Jesus functioned as we must so that we have his example for us today!

Wrestling With God

Wrestling With God, Genesis 32:22-30. 22 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." 27 So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 28 Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." 29 Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the hip socket, because he struck Jacob on the hip socket at the thigh muscle. NRSV

         [And there wrestled a man with him] This was doubtless the Lord Jesus Christ, who, among the patriarchs, assumed that human form, which in the fullness of time he really took of a woman, and in which he dwelt thirty-three years among men. He is here styled an "angel," because he was ‎megalees ‎‎boulees ‎‎Angelos ‎(see the Septuagint, Isa 9:7 ), the Messenger of the great counsel or design to redeem fallen man from death, and bring him to eternal glory; see Gen 16:7.(from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
There are key points in the scripture we should note.
1. He made an opportunity to be alone with God.
2. God’s (Man) came and wrestled with Him. This was an old fashion knock down fight for his life.
3. Jacob did not give up and as a result He was honored with a new name. Israel, God Preserves, or God Rules.
4. He also received a reminder (His hip socket was out of place) that he had been in a fight and that even though he did not give up during God’s test, God was the one with the power and authority.

Today ask yourself how hard you are willing to battle to get all that God has for you.

The Tent of Meeting

7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each of them, at the entrance of their tents and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. 9 When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise and bow down, all of them, at the entrance of their tent. 11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then he would return to the camp; but his young assistant, Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the tent. NRSV
       If you have read the Bible though recently you were exposed to one very powerful truth. Which one you ask for there are so many? The one I speak of is this; that the God who is above all who claim to be god, the one who created all and is and was and will be, the great I am, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ desires to have a an intimate relationship with each of us. We see this in God’s relationship with, Adam, Abraham, Moses, David and so many more. This truth is most clear in God’s relationship with Jesus the Son of man and Son of God. Because of Jesus we have been made adopted children so that along with the people of Israel, God’s chosen people, we might have a relationship with God unhindered by our sin.
       This is not a small thing, in fact the cloud of witness mentioned in Hebrews 12:1-2, reminds us of just how close Jesus is to the father and therefore how we may come to Him as His children and experience the joy of direct fellowship with God anytime and anywhere.
       1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. NRSV
       Today, seek out that place where you and God meet in intimate fellowship. If you do not have such a place yet, begin to seek out and establish such a place of meeting for everyday fellowship with God.

Withdrawing to a Deserted Place

Withdrawing to a Deserted Place, Luke 5:15-16

12 Once, when he was in one of the cities, there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean." 13 Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, "I do choose. Be made clean." Immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he ordered him to tell no one. "Go," he said, "and show yourself to the priest, and, as Moses commanded, make an offering for your cleansing, for a testimony to them." 15 But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. 16 But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray. NRSV
The material below is from, ”A Year With God,” by Richard Foster.
"Each day of the next ten days, seek to do exactly what Jesus did. Withdraw to a place where you can be alone with God and use that time to pray. When possible, try to have these times of solitude immediately before or after times where you are around others. If it is an extremely busy time for you---especially if that is the case---work to create time to be alone with God, even if all you can manage is a solitary cup of coffee in the morning or a few moments of prayer in your car before you drive to work. Remind yourself that these times of solitude will nourish and refresh you. Perhaps you already set aside time each day to be with God in a place that is quiet and deserted. If so, perhaps you will want to challenge yourself to withdraw even more. For example, if you usually pray in a room in your house, perhaps you can try driving or walking to a park or a place where you can be almost certain that you won’t be interrupted. You might want to begin your time of solitude with this prayer from the Northumbria Community:
Here am I, Lord, I’ve come to do your will. Here am I, Lord, in your presence I’m still.
--Celtic Daily Prayer"

SOLITUDE, the Secret Place of Power With God!

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Learn More about the Power on getting alone with God!

SOLITUDE

The creation of an open, empty space in our lives by purposefully abstaining from interaction with other human beings, so that, freed from competing loyalties, we can be found by God.


The Gospels tell us that Jesus’ very public ministry was interspersed with periods of solitude during which He, either completely by Himself or with the disciples, left the crowds behind to pray. These times of solitude appeared to nourish Jesus for those times when He was in the public eye. He began His ministry with forty days in the desert, just after He was baptized. And He continued the practice of going off alone to pray, often just at the times when His ministry seemed to demand the most from Him.
Solitude is not about becoming a hermit or misanthrope. Indeed, times of solitude can enhance our times of fellowship with others. Neither is solitude loneliness. It is time spent with God. Put this way, it sounds so natural, yet for most of us this time does not just happen. One of the keys to the definition above is the phrase “the creation of an open, empty space.” We must work to create this space, to “purposefully” withdraw even when—especially when—it seems that we have no time to do so. We can all learn from Jesus’ example and take time to focus on our relationship with God, replenishing and nourishing ourselves for busy lives. The material below is from,"A Year With God," by Richard Foster
Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while. —Mark 6:31
Day 186 Spiritual Practice: Withdrawing to a Deserted Place
Day 187 The Tent of Meeting
Day 188 Wrestling With God
Day 189 Spending the Night in Prayer
Day 190 Hide Yourself
Day 191 I Alone Am Left
Day 192 I Sat Alone
Day 193 He Is With Me
Day 194 Yet I Am Not Alone
Day 195 Opening Ourselves
Day 196 Spiritual Practice: Retreat with God
Day 197 In the Wilderness
Day 198 I Will Bring Her Into the Wilderness
Day 199 Shaping the Soul
Day 200 The Crowds Were Looking for Jesus
Day 201 Rising Early to Pray
Day 202 Come Away and Rest a While
Day 203 I Went Away at Once
Day 204 Preparation Time
Day 205 Down From the Mountaintop

Setting Our Sights on Jesus

Day 185, 07/12/2010, Setting Our Sights on Jesus, Hebrews 12

Our primary passage today is Hebrews 12:1-4 and 22-24. I encourage you however to read the entire passage as it speaks to the real message in verse 28 and 29.

Truly our example is Jesus and it is He who came to proclaim and establish the message of the Kingdom for which He who was born of a virgin, lived among us, died and was resurrected all in fulfillment of Bible prophecy as described in the scriptures given by God through His people Israel. So let us look to Jesus today for there is no other way to the Father, for He alone is the Lord of Host and every knee shall bow to Him alone!

1 THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,
2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. [Ps 110:1.]
3 Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.
4 You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out your [own] blood.
5 And have you [completely] forgotten the divine word of appeal and encouragement in which you are reasoned with and addressed as sons? My son, do not think lightly or scorn to submit to the correction and discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage and give up and faint when you are reproved or corrected by Him;
6 For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes.
7 You must submit to and endure [correction] for discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not [thus] train and correct and discipline?
8 Now if you are exempt from correction and left without discipline in which all [of God's children] share, then you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons [at all]. [Prov 3:11,12.]
9 Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them] and respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live?
10 For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.
11 For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness — in conformity to God's will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].
12 So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees, [Isa 35:3.]
13 And cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame and halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured.
14 Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.
15 Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God's grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it —
16 That no one may become guilty of sexual vice, or become a profane (godless and sacrilegious) person as Esau did, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. [Gen 25:29-34.]
17 For you understand that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected (disqualified and set aside), for he could find no opportunity to repair by repentance [what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], although he sought for it carefully with [bitter] tears. [Gen 27:30-40.]
18 For you have not come [as did the Israelites in the wilderness] to a [material] mountain that can be touched, [a mountain] that is ablaze with fire, and to gloom and darkness and a raging storm,
19 And to the blast of a trumpet and a voice whose words make the listeners beg that nothing more be said to them. [Ex 19:12-22; 20:18-21; Deut 4:11,12; 5:22-27.]
20 For they could not bear the command that was given: If even a wild animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death. [Ex 19:12,13.]
21 In fact, so awful and terrifying was the [phenomenal] sight that Moses said, I am terrified (aghast and trembling with fear). [Deut 9:19.]
22 But rather, you have come to Mount Zion, even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless multitudes of angels in festal gathering,
23 And to the church (assembly) of the Firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to the God Who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect,
24 And to Jesus, the Mediator (Go-between, Agent) of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks [of mercy], a better and nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which cried out for vengeance]. [Gen 4:10.]
25 So see to it that you do not reject Him or refuse to listen to and heed Him Who is speaking [to you now]. For if they [the Israelites] did not escape when they refused to listen and heed Him Who warned and divinely instructed them [here] on earth [revealing with heavenly warnings His will], how much less shall we escape if we reject and turn our backs on Him Who cautions and admonishes [us] from heaven?
26 Then [at Mount Sinai] His voice shook the earth, but now He has given a promise: Yet once more I will shake and make tremble not only the earth but also the [starry] heavens. [Hag 2:6.]
27 Now this expression, Yet once more, indicates the final removal and transformation of all [that can be] shaken that is, of that which has been created — in order that what cannot be shaken may remain and continue. [Ps 102:26.]
28 Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe;
29 For our God [is indeed] a consuming fire. [Deut 4:24.] AMP

Reflecting on Jesus

Day 184, 07/11/2010, Reflecting on Jesus, Hebrews 3:1-6

1 SO THEN, brethren, consecrated and set apart for God, who share in the heavenly calling, [thoughtfully and attentively] consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest Whom we confessed [as ours when we embraced the Christian faith].
2 [See how] faithful He was to Him Who appointed Him [Apostle and High Priest], as Moses was also faithful in the whole house [of God]. [Num 12:7.]
3 Yet Jesus has been considered worthy of much greater honor and glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house [itself].
4 For [of course] every house is built and furnished by someone, but the Builder of all things and the Furnisher [of the entire equipment of all things] is God.
5 And Moses certainly was faithful in the administration of all God's house [but it was only] as a ministering servant. [In his entire ministry he was but] a testimony to the things which were to be spoken [the revelations to be given afterward in Christ]. [Num 12:7.]
6 But Christ (the Messiah) was faithful over His [own Father's] house as a Son [and Master of it]. And it is we who are [now members] of this house, if we hold fast and firm to the end our joyful and exultant confidence and sense of triumph in our hope [in Christ]. AMP


I have no comments today, except to encourage you to read and re-read this passage and meditate on God’s goodness toward us who believe.

Meditating on God’s Works

Day 183, 07/10/2010, Meditating on God’s Works
Wow, Our God does amazing things!10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills,

11 giving drink to every wild animal; the wild asses quench their thirst.
12 By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches.
13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
14 You cause the grass to grow for the cattle,and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth,
15 and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine,and bread to strengthen the human heart.
16 The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 In them the birds build their nests; the stork has its home in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the coneys.
19 You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.
20 You make darkness, and it is night,when all the animals of the forest come creeping out.
21 The young lions roar for their prey,seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they withdrawand lie down in their dens.
23 People go out to their workand to their labor until the evening.
24 O LORD , how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there,living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships,and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
27 These all look to you to give them their food in due season;
28 when you give to them, they gather it up;when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works —
32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,who touches the mountains and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD .NRSV
Wow, Our God does amazing things!