God draws us in

Monday, December 13, 2010
Devotions: Ps 41, 44, 52; Isa 8:16-9:1; 2 Pet 1:1-11; Lk 22:39-53

My soul longs for God as a thirsty stag pants for flowing streams. When can I see You, Lord? People constantly challenge me: 'So where is your God? What about your so-called faith?' I ask myself the same things, and my spirit and mind answer: 'Soul, don't despair! Hope in God; I will praise Him again and again, my Helper and my God!' Deep calls to deep, and God thunders to overmaster all my doubts. His steadfast love and His songs of joy make my life a prayer, day and night, waking and sleeping. YHWH is my King and my God; He has saved me from all my enemies, outward and inward. Let my God arise and deliver me for the sake of His steadfast love and His holy name. God will bring down the arrogant and proud; I abide, like a green olive tree in God's household. I proclaim God's goodness and might in the presence of the godly.

Isaiah wrote: I will bind up the testimony and seal the teaching among My disciples. I will wait upon YHWH, Who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob. I and my children are portents in Israel from our God, YHWH Who dwells on Mt. Zion. When they suggest that we should consult mediums and wizards, I say that we must consult with our God. Focus on the teaching and testimony! Their godless oracles abide in darkness. When they find themselvs homeless and starving, the godless will look to earthy powers, but they will go down in darkness. But there will be no gloom for God's people who pass through anguish now. In latter days, God will make glorious the seaside highway, and the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.

Second Peter begins: Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus the Messiah, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing to ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus the Messiah: may grace and peace be multiplied toyou in the knowledge of our God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything that pertains to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who called us to His own glory and excellence. By these He has given us His precious and very great promises, so that through these you may escape the corruption that is in the world because of human passions and may become partakers of the divine nature. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with phileo, and phileo with agape. For if you have these in abundance, they will keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. For anyone who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more zealous to confirm your calling and election, for if you do this, you will never fall; so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Messiah.

After supper with His apostles in the upper room, Jesus came out and went to the Mount of Olives, as was His custom. Coming to His destination, Jesus said to His disciples, 'Pray that you may not enter into temptation.' He withdrew about a stone's throw further, and knelt and prayed, 'Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will by Yours be done.' And when He rose from praying, He came back to the disciples and found them sleeping, exhausted from sorrow. And He said to them, 'Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.' While Jesus was still sleeping, a crowd came, led by Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve. Judas approached Jesus, to kiss Him. And Jesus said, 'Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?' When His companions saw what was going to happen, they said, 'Lord, shall we strike with the sword?' And one struck the high priest's slave and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, 'No more of this!' And He touched the man's ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, all of whom had come out against Him, 'Have you come out as against a brigand, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day by day in the temple, you didn't lay hands on Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.'