:)

Wishing you all a Very Happy Mothers Day.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

When we were at our worst, God gave us His best. All forms of human love have some measure of self interest attached. The Greek New Testament language provides us understanding of the nuances of love. Eros-love brings the mutual satisfaction of physical love. Phileo-love enables people to share friendship affections. To describe God’s love, the Holy Spirit inspired the human Bible writers to use a term rarely employed by the Greeks—Agape, unconditional love. Nothing displays this word like Jesus dying for us on the cross while we were still in rebellion.

David was Israel's greatest king, a man whom the Bible describes as having the very heart of God. So it may not be surprising that the New Testament both begins and ends with references to Jesus as the Son or Offspring of David. He is the One who fulfilled the promise of a coming King so beloved by God that his throne will endure forever. Like David, Jesus was born in Bethlehem (the city of David). And like David, who established his kingdom by overcoming Israel's enemies and uniting God's people, Jesus would establish his kingdom by defeating the principalities and powers, making a way for us to become part of it as we confess our faith in him. When you pray to Jesus as the Son of David, you are praying to the long-awaited King, human by virtue of his descent from David and divine by virtue of being God's only Son.


The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end. Luke 1:32 - 33

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4

I have attended university graduation ceremonies that included honoring a distinguished former student. When the person’s named was called, a prominent member of the board or administration would escort the honoree to the stage. If you are in covenant with God through Jesus Christ, when your name is sounded at your “graduation,” the Son of God Himself will escort you across the zone between the material and spiritual worlds. He not only promised to go and prepare a place for us, but to come again, and escort us home.

"Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”
John 14:13-14

God is omniscient, but doesn’t respond to mere wishes. We must ask because it’s an act of our freewill. Further, we must ask in the name of Jesus. Prayer is a covenant matter: only those in Christ have the authority to ask. Our earthly mission is advancing His Kingdom. Therefore, asking in His name, by default, is requesting that which will enable us to carry out our mission. Asking for personal indulgences not related to the Kingdom mission is not asking in Jesus’ name, because He is synonymous with the Kingdom. But whatever we ask in alignment with Jesus, His Kingdom and our mission in it, we receive.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

Everybody wants to know the secret. And we search everywhere for it.

What’s the secret to love?

What’s the secret to a great marriage?

What’s the secret to wealth?

What’s the secret to a happy life?

However, the secret has been out for over two thousand years; we just walk blindly by it, missing it. The true secret is found in seeking.

The Bible clearly tells us that it’s a waste of time to seek anything else if we haven’t sought God first. But we get so caught up in the worries of day-to-day life that we forget that God is the one in control.

You wouldn’t walk into your boss’s office and start taking over their work because they weren’t doing it according to your standards. But that’s exactly what we do to God when we put other things before him. We’re telling him that we can decide the order of things better than he can.

God should be the number one priority in our lives. Nothing in your world should come before seeking him. I challenge you to spend some time in prayer today, seeking God and his righteousness. And the Bible promises that when you do, the secret will be revealed.

Prayer

Lord, I now realize that the secret is in seeking you first. Today, I commit to setting aside some time each day to pray and seek you and your righteousness. It is only through you that ‘all these things’ will be given to me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.