Live Under God's Authority

New Guest: Like this one, most posts are devotional; those related to CAR BIZ can be found by searching for that label.


Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Devotions: Ps 5, 6, 10, 11; Isa 40:25-31; Eph 1:15-23; Mk 1:14-28

Lord, I come to You in the morning; please hear my prayers! You love righteousness; You abhor wickedness; by Your grace and in Your steadfast love, I enter Your presence and Your household. Make my way straight today, Father. Let us rejoice, all who take refuge in You; cover me with Your favor like a shield. Heal me, Lord, for I am languishing; deliver me for Your love’s sake. YHWH hears and accepts my prayer; my enemies will be ashamed and sorely troubled; they will turn back suddenly, put to shame. God lets us struggle sometimes, and we long for His strong presence; in those times, the wicked gloat and swell up in pride and arrogance. Let the Holy One arise! Break the arms of the wicked, Lord; set the meek under Your protection; strengthen our hearts; bring Your justice to those who are oppressed.

Pay attention, YHWH says: Who created this world? I AM everlasting, the Creator. I do not faint or grow weary; My understanding is unsearchable. I empower the weak; those who wait upon Me will mount up like eagles; they press on, unweary; they shall not faint in times of trial.

Paul writes: I continually thank God for you and your faith; I pray that God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of our Lord; that He may enlighten your hearts, so that you can know the hope to which God has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance among the saints, and the immeasurable greatness of His power in us who believe—that power that God used to raise Jesus from death and to exalt Him to God’s right hand in the heavenly places! Jesus reigns far above every other spiritual being—rulers, authorities, powers and dominions—and above every name now and forever. God has put all things under Jesus’ feet and made Him the Head of the church, His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all!

Jesus taught that God’s kingdom is at hand; all should repent and believe in the Gospel. He called Simon and Andrew, James and John from their nets and fishing boats, and commissioned them to become fishers gathering people into God’s kingdom. The five went on to Capernaum; on the Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The congregation was amazed at His teaching, which had authority far above that exercised by the scribes they knew. In the synagogue was a man possessed by an unclean spirit, which cried out: ‘What have You to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? I know You: God’s Holy One!’ Jesus rebuked the spirit: ‘Be silent! Come out of him!’ The spirit convulsed the man, and crying loudly, came out. And the witnesses were amazed, and spoke among themselves: ‘What is this? New teaching; He is able even to command evil spirits, and they obey Him!’ Jesus fame quickly spread through the Galilee.