Receive God's wisdom and communion of love

New Guest: Like this one, most posts are devotional; those related to CAR BIZ can be found by searching for that title. You might read 'Welcome,' the first post, archived on November 12, 2008.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Devotions: Ps 12-14; 119:1-24; Dan 2:17-30; 1 Jn 2:12-17; Jn 17;20-26

Lord, there are no godly people anywhere; I’m surrounded by liars and flatterers. Rise up, Holy Lord, and protect the needy. Your promises are pure, like silver refined seven times. Vileness is exalted among the nations, but I will trust in the holy love of YHWH. How long must I endure before I see Your victory, Lord? I will continue to trust in Your steadfast love; my heart will rejoice in Your salvation; and I will sing Your praise as You deal bountifully with me. Only fools deny God’s existence; but God sees the folly in all mortals—we are corrupt. We need God’s salvation and wisdom; God is our Refuge. When YHWH restores my fortunes, I will rejoice and be glad! Blessed are all who trust in the word of the Lord, who keep His testimonies, who live by His precepts! Lord, help me be steadfast in keeping Your statutes, so I will not be put to shame. I will praise You with an upright heart, my God. I preserve my way by living according to Your word, which I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. I pray, Lord, deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live by Your word. Your testimonies counsel and delight me, YHWH!

When God revealed Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to Daniel, Daniel praised and thanked God. Then Daniel told the king’s enforcer not to kill the wise men of Babylon, but to bring Daniel before the king so the prophet could interpret the king’s dream for him. Daniel told the king that only God in heaven could accomplish what Nebuchadnezzar had demanded. Daniel told the king his dream consisted of ‘thoughts of what would come in the future.’

John the Elder: ‘I write to you little children because your sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake; fathers, because you know Him Who Is from the beginning; young men, because you have overcome the evil one; children, because you know the Father; fathers, because you know Him Who Is from the beginning; young men, because your are strong and God’s word abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world, or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world, the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does, comes not from the Father, but from the world. The world passes away, and its lusts, too; but whoever does God’s will abides for ever.’

Just before going out to Gethsemane, Jesus concluded His prayer: ‘I pray also for those who believe in Me through the words of these friends of Mine; I pray that they all may be one, just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You—that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory You gave Me, that they may be one as We Are one—I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me! Father, I desire that those you have given Me may be with Me where I Am, to behold My glory—the glory You gave Me before the foundation of the cosmos. O righteous Father, the world has not known You, but I have known You, and these know that You have sent Me. I made Your name known to them, and I will continue to make it known, that the Your love for Me may also be in them, and I Myself may be in them.’