Communing with a King

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“I tell you; this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other.” Luke 18:14a ESV1

There is a protocol for greeting a member of the English Royal Family:

“When being presented to The King or Queen, men are expected to bow from the neck. Women can either bow or curtsey. If a curtsy is given it is just a short bob, keeping the back straight, hands by the side, dropping the knees slightly and bowing the head … Allow The King or The Queen to begin, steer and end the conversation.

On first address: Your Majesty

Thereafter: Sir (King) or Ma’am (Queen).2

There is a proper way to address the President of the United States.

“In direct oral address – actually speaking to the President – the President is addressed as: Mr. President—His given name or surname are not used in his presence. This pattern of not using the name is typical around the world when addressing the highest officials—chiefs of state, heads of government, speakers of houses, chief justices, and a very few others.”3

There is also an appropriate way to come before the King of the Universe.

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Getting on God’s Good Side

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“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6b ESV1

Read James 4:1-5:20

Let me be clear: there is nothing you can do to make God love you more, and there is nothing you can do to make God love you less. God is love (see 1 John 4:8, 16). Perfect love is His character and cannot be swayed by human effort. And your salvation is not dependent on your works. Jesus has already accomplished everything necessary to pay for your sin and give you His righteousness. You need only repent and believe, and God takes care of everything else (see John 6:29 & 27).2 But God’s favor and blessings are conditional. James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote:

“‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (James 4:6b).

God’s resistance to the proud and approval of the humble wasn’t a new concept to the Jewish believers to whom James wrote. Similar statements are found in the Old Testament (see Job 22:29, Psalms 138:6, Proverbs 3:34, and Isaiah 57:15, 66:2). Jesus modeled and taught this (Matthew 23:12), and Peter wrote about it (1 Peter 5:5). But James expounded upon it.

The fourth and fifth chapters of James explain what pride and humility look like. As we consider each of these characteristics, I challenge you to ask yourself, “Does that describe me?”

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The Power of Love

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“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15 ESV1

Read John 14:15-24

Years ago, I attended a youth gathering where the leader asked the students, “Why do you obey your parents?” The answers fell into two main categories. Some students answered, “Because I am afraid of them.” Others replied, “Because I love them.” I have followed several of those youth since that day. As soon as they were out on their own, many of those who had confessed fear of their parents turned from the guidelines their fathers and mothers had tried to instill. Conversely, when they were out of their parents’ presence, those who proclaimed a love for their fathers and mothers stuck fast to the instruction they had received. Love is a far greater motivator than fear!

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Do You Know Jesus?

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“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” John 14:7 ESV1

Read John 14:7-14

If I asked you, “Do you know Jesus?” what would you say? If your answer is, “Yes!” how do you know Him? Do you know Him as a historical figure? A person who once lived here on Earth, taught people how to love, and reportedly did some amazing things? Do you know Him as Savior? Are you confident that Jesus, by dying on the cross and rising from the dead, took the punishment for your sins and, through your belief in Him, you have received eternal life? Do you know Him as a Friend? Do you find Him a very likable Guy, enjoy spending time with Him, and receive His encouraging words as a blessing? Do you know Him as Spouse? Do you love Him more than you love yourself, desire to please Him, and regularly experience satisfying intimate times with Him? Or do you know Him as the Head of your body? When He laughs, do you shake? When He cries, does your heart break? Are you so absorbed in Him that when people look at you, they only see Him?

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Knowing and Loving the One and Only

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Jesus said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 ESV1

Read John 14:4-6

Recently, as I walked down the main street of my hometown, I noticed a sign in a shop window that read:

If You Love What You Have, You Have Everything You Need.

I considered the validity of that statement. It makes sense that if one truly loves what one has, he/she will not seek contentment elsewhere. Then I pondered if such a truth applied equally in the spiritual realm as in the physical. I concluded that the prerequisite of loving what you have is knowing what you have. I believe realizing what they had, or more accurately, Whom they had, was the purpose of Jesus’ final lesson to His disciples.

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Hope for Troubled Hearts

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“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.” John 14:1 ESV1

Read John 14:1-3

I have heard it said that there are at least 365 admonitions in Scripture to not fear. Supposedly, Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian pastor during the Second World War, searched the Scriptures for these exhortations, memorized them, and meditated upon one of them each day. Evidently, Pastor Wurmbrand found 366 such Scriptures—one for each day of the year including Leap Day. It was Leap Day when he was captured by the Communist Regime and imprisoned for his faith.

Over the last few years, as I have been reading and studying Scripture, I have been searching for all the verses that command us to be fearless. I want to make a Fear Not calendar to encourage and empower myself and other Christians so that we might valiantly face the challenges that arise before us. I found one such verse at the beginning of John 14. The words of Jesus are:

“‘Let not your hearts be troubled’” (John 14:1a).

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You Are What You Eat

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Now, as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it, broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My Body” … And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28 ESV1

Read Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-26 & Luke 22:23

You have probably heard the proverb; “You are what you eat.” That phrase means that what you eat significantly impacts your health and well-being. Because the food you eat provides the nutrients for the function of every cell in your body, eating nutrient-rich food builds a healthy body while eating junk food contributes to the tear down of your body. What is evident in this case physically has similar spiritual connotations. What you consume spiritually greatly affects your spiritual condition. Consider the words of Jesus as He dined with His disciples:

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