Mary is our model of hearing the word of God and observing it

"He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”  (Luke 11: 28)

In this scripture verse, Jesus points to His mother as the perfect model of hearing the word of God and observing it.  Mary burst into the New Testament by her reply to the incredible message of the angel that she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and become the mother of Jesus.  She replied, "“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” 

When we hear God's word in scripture and reply like Mary, "Behold I am your servant O Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."  Jesus pronounces us blessed, very happy and to be envied.

For Jesus or Against Jesus

"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."  (Luke 11: 23)

Dear Jesus, I am 100% for you.  My desire is to gather with you.  Help me by your grace never by thought, word or deed to scatter what you gather.  I ask for this in your name Jesus.  Amen!

Ask, Seek and Knock

"“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."  (Luke 11: 9)

• I believe in prayer
• I believe in the word of God
• I believe in miracle
• I leave the rest to God

Character of God - Gracious and Merciful

"He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I fled at first toward Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, repenting of punishment."  (Jonah 4: 2)

God our Father is gracious and merciful.

"Know that the LORD works wonders for his faithful one;
the LORD hears when I call out to him.
Tremble and sin no more;
weep bitterly within your hearts,
wail upon your beds,
Offer fitting sacrifices
and trust in the LORD."  (Psalm 4: 4 - 7)

The Prioroty

"The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”  (Luke 10:  41 - 42)

What are the many things we are anxious and worried about?

Health, family, money, job, homes, cars, computers, cell phones, food, future, etc.  You can add to the list.

But Jesus says:  "Only One Thing" is necessary!  What is this One Thing?  Clearly it cannot be from the above list.  Or could it be fame?  Or fortune?  Or perhaps power?  If it is fame, the Hollywood stars would have had it all.  It is certainly not fortune because we know many millionaires who are miserable.  Herod had all the power he wanted and was yet threatened by the announcement of the birth of Jesus the Christ.

So what is this One Thing?  The One Thing is the Holy Spirit in us, our hope of glory.

The One Thing that is necessary

"The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”  (Luke 10:  41 - 42)

What are the many things we are anxious and worried about?
Health, family, money, job, homes, cars, computers, cell phones, food, future, etc.  You can add to the list.

But Jesus says:  "Only One Thing" is necessary!  What is this One Thing?  Clearly it cannot be from the above list.  Or could it be fame?  Or fortune?  Or perhaps power?  If it is fame, the Hollywood stars would have had it all.  It is certainly not fortune because we know many millionaires who are miserable.  Herod had all the power he wanted and was yet threatened by the announcement of the birth of Jesus the Christ.

So what is this One Thing?  The One Thing is the Holy Spirit in us, our hope of glory.

Mercy is the essential attribute of God

"Jonah prayed to the LORD, his God, from the belly of the fish:
Out of my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me;
From the womb of Sheol I cried for help,
and you heard my voice."  (Jonah 2: 2-3)

When Jonah found himself in great distress in the belly of the fish, he cried out to God in prayer.  The Lord heard his cries and delivered him from the pit. This pattern repeats throughout  scripture.  It is the cycle of the 3 S: Sin, Suffering and Salvation.  This pattern would be impossible but for the character of God.  Mercy defines the heart of God. Scripture urges us to approach the throne of grace with confidence in order to obtain mercy at our times of need.

I can bear witness to this truth that at my times of need, when I cry out to God in prayer, He always answers with His merciful deliverance.  Thank you Father for your merciful heart.

The just one shall live by faith

Then the LORD answered me and said:
Write down the vision;
Make it plain upon tablets,
so that the one who reads it may run.
For the vision is a witness for the appointed time,
a testimony to the end; it will not disappoint.
If it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
(Habakkuk 2: 2 - 3)

O Lord, remember this promise by which you gave me hope. I am encouraged to know that your word abides forever.  Give your servant great patience as I wait for the fulfillment of your word.

It happened not for your destruction

Baruch 4: 5-6

" Take courage, my people!
Remember, O Israel,
6 You were sold to the nations
not for destruction;
It was because you angered God
that you were handed over to your foes."

"Endure your trials as 'discipline' " (Hebrews 12 :7)

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I wait for your word

"Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,
as on the day of Massah in the desert."  (Psalm 95: 7 - 8)

Oh that today I will hear your voice Father.  I will not harden my heart.  I yearn to hear you speak to my situation.  Let your word come and lift me up.  I wait for your word.  With courage I wait for it.  I wait for it more than a watchman for daybreak.  Do not delay the sending of your word.

The "waiting" word will recognize its "owner."

The joy of the Lord is my strength

"Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD is your strength!”  (Nehemiah 8:10)

The Israelites were disheartened after hearing the word of God.  They saw as in a mirror their true selves in relation to God.  God said to them in order to uplift them:

"He continued: “Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our LORD. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD is your strength!”  (Nehemiah 8: 10)

How awesome and compassionate our God is!

If they do as they are commanded, their obedience to this word of God will cause them to be renewed physically and spiritually.

How do we live this word of God today?  In whatever trial of life we may find ourselves, we can say: "I will not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD is my strength!”  For God's word  urges us:

"Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  (James 1: 2 - 4)

"Endure your trials as discipline."  (Hebrews 12: 7)

"This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice in it and be glad."  (Psalm 118:  24)

Your promises give me hope in life

"Because he clings to me I will deliver him;
because he knows my name I will set him on high.
He will call upon me and I will answer;
I will be with him in distress;
I will deliver him and give him honor.
With length of days I will satisfy him,
and fill him with my saving power."  (Psalm 91: 14 - 16)

My God, these promises are precious, sweet and beautiful.  I plan to claim everyone of them.  Here I go:

• I cling to you like a drowning man clings to anything within reach.
• I know your Name.  Your Name is Abba Father.  I learned your Name from your Son Jesus.  I know the Name of your Son.  His full Name is Jesus Christ.  I know the Holy Spirit.  Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are the Most Holy Trinity, One God in Three Persons.
• I am often in distress: health, finances, job, tools, etc.  I call upon you for help all the time.

You now see Father why I told you that I will claim every single promise in Psalm 91: 14 - 16.  If I am presumptuous Father, forgive me.  Lead me to right standing with you so that I can claim the promises.  I love them and I want them.

Dear Father, here are some more promises in your word that I love and claim:

"Find your delight in the LORD
who will give you your heart’s desire.
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will act
And make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like noonday.

Be still before the LORD;
wait for him.
Do not be provoked by the prosperous,
nor by malicious schemers."  (Psalm 37: 4 - 7)

Your promises give me hope in life.  Treat your servant according to your mercy.

You revealed them to the little child

"At that time Jesus said in reply, “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike."  (Matthew 11: 25)

What do you like most about little children?

• Their trust
• Their innocence
• Their inquisitiveness
• Their natural purity
• Their total dependence

Jesus calls God His Father.  We think that He relates to His Father as a little child.  The Father wants me to come to Him as a little child.

How to be successful in everything

Joshua 1:8

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

May we find in the word of God the food of salvation & the fountain of life!

"Those that make the word of God their rule, and conscientiously walk by that rule, shall both do well and speed well; it will furnish them with the best maxims by which to order their conversation (Ps. cxi. 10); and it will entitle them to the best blessings: God shall give them the desire of their heart. " (Matthew Henry Commentary)

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Your words consoled me

"Remember your word to your servant
by which you give me hope.
This is my comfort in affliction,
your promise that gives me life."  (Psalm 119: 49 - 50)

Remember your commitment to me when I left Egypt:
"This is the commitment I made to you
when you came out of Egypt.
My spirit remains in your midst;
do not fear!"  (Haggai 2: 5)

And this was your commitment to me:
"It is the LORD who goes before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed.”  (Deuteronomy 31: 8)

Your promise gives me comfort in my affliction for I know that You placed your name and your word on the same level.  Your word can never fail.  This is my hope in trouble.

The Lord Himself will be your firewall

"I will be an encircling wall of fire for it—oracle of the LORD—and I will be the glory in its midst.”  (Zechariah 2: 9 NABRE)

If God is for you, who can be against you?.  If God surrounds you with an impregnable firewall, who can touch you?

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
on your own intelligence do not rely;
In all your ways be mindful of him,
and he will make straight your paths."  (Proverbs 3: 5 - 6)

The "waiting" words meet the "owner"

"Now be strong, Zerubbabel—oracle of the LORD—
be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, high priest,
Be strong, all you people of the land—oracle of the LORD—
and work! For I am with you—oracle of the LORD of hosts.

This is the commitment I made to you
when you came out of Egypt.
My spirit remains in your midst;
do not fear!"  (Haggai 2: 4 - 5)

The above word of God caused me excitement when I heard it a couple of times this morning.  I remembered what Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his book, JESUS OF NAZARETH - The Infancy Narrative.   He wrote:

"One of the characteristics of early Christian narrative is that it provides these "waiting" words with their "owner."  This connection between the "waiting" word and the recognition of its "owner," now that he has appeared, has given rise to the typically Christian approach to exegesis, which is new and yet remains utterly faithful to the original words of Scripture."

Is Haggai 2: 4 - 5 the words I have been waiting for since 1208?  Am I the owner of this rhema?  Or am I still waiting for something else?

Are you waiting for the Lord to speak to you about something?  Maybe your purpose in life?  Know for certain that there is a word of God for you.  This word is your "waiting" word.  It is waiting for the right time to manifest itself.  A Chinese proverb says:  "When the student is ready, the teacher appears."  Are you ready for your "waiting" words?  Are you getting ready?    The word of God says:
"Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us."  (Romans 5:5)

When the "owner" is ready, the "waiting" words will appear.

Build My House

"Go up into the hill country;
bring timber, and build the house
that I may be pleased with it,
and that I may be glorified, says the LORD."  (Haggai 1: 8)

How do we contribute to building God's Church?

"Bring the whole tithe
into the storehouse,
That there may be food in my house.
Put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts,
And see if I do not open the floodgates of heaven for you,
and pour down upon you blessing without measure!"  (Malachi 3: 10)

Our tithe of time, talent and treasure is one way of making our contribution to the building of the kingdom.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides."  (Matthew 6: 33)

When the kingdom of God becomes our Number 1 priority in life, our contribution and our stake in the Enterprise become enhanced.  The sin of the Israelites in Haggai 1: 8 is that they delayed the completion of God's Temple till they finish their homes, thus making God's kingdom a secondary priority.

Jesus is the Good News!

"This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”  (Mark 1: 15)

Believe in Jesus!
Jesus is the Good News!
The Good News is Jesus.

Jesus is the Good News that brings joy to the heart.  He is the first and principal cause of our pardon and peace.  He is the source of authority and power that we need everyday in our life.  He is the Alpha and Omega and therefore the source of our purpose in life.  Jesus promises us His constant presence.  He is our only and effective protection and provision for everything we need in life.

St Irenaeus wrote:  “The glory of God is man fully alive.”  Jesus Christ is that Man who is fully alive.  He shows us the potential for every man and woman.  His coming ushers in the kingdom of God. The kingdom is here and now.  It is here in the Church.  The kingdom is also here and yet to come.  It is yet to come in its fullness when Jesus Christ returns in the parousia.

To believe in Jesus and believe in the Gospel is one and the same thing.  With the heart, we believe in Him.  With our mouth, we confess the truth about Jesus.  Salvation comes from belief and confession.

My mother, my brothers and sisters

"He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”  (Luke 8: 21)

Lord Jesus, I want to hear your word and act on it.  Grant me the grace.  I desire to build my life on the rock of your word.  Help me.

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock."  (Matthew 7: 24)