Matthew 27:50-51 – “Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. ⁵¹ Just then the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split apart.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was challenged to think! I was challenged to weigh one thought against another. I was challenged to weigh tradition against the actual Word of God.

In Matthew 27:51, at the moment of Jesus’ death, the curtain in the temple that separated the courts was torn from top to bottom. Since we can be certain God places all words and events in the Bible for a purpose, we ask, “Why was the curtain or veil torn? Why from top to bottom?”

Let me suggest:

• The veil/curtain was torn to symbolize that now anyone could enter the presence of God. Now, anyone could enter the inner sanctuary of God. Access to God was open to be seen and entered by “whosoever” will.
• Top to Bottom indicates that God, not religion, grants this access.
•  Access to God is God-initiated.
• Now, there is immediate personal access to God, not just religious leaders.

In Mark 2:21-22, we have the reference to patching garments and Wineskins. That speaks several things not unrelated to Matthew 28. 

• You can’t reform the flesh (carnal nature); it has to be replaced by transformation.
• You can’t just add a few good acts to the unreformed nature and be acceptable.
• To be truly right with God, we must be transformed, not simply reformed.

We can force ourselves to pray, read, go to church, and even witness, but unless the heart is changed, it’s old Wineskins and patching garments.   Total surrender of Everything to Jesus is the only answer.  When we willingly give God access to our whole hearts, He transforms, but never reforms!

David’s prayer in Psalm 51:10-13 gives us the pathway to perfect peace—a pure heart. The heart is the seat of our motives and moral character.
A right or resolute spirit. God will never reject that level of sincerity in pursuit of Him and His purposes.

Fullness of the Holy Spirit or advocate (Paraclete).   Our inner GPS.  The source of our enlightenment and enablement.  Joy comes from total liberation from the stranglehold of sin inside.  The desire to obey is a sustaining force within.

We keep trying to do better, but God desires to make us better.  The doing out of the flesh is a form of reforming.  The doing out of being is Transformation! Don’t focus on doing; focus on being! Therein is true freedom!

Have a great day in God!

Ezra 9:5-7 – “At the time of the evening offering I got up from my self-abasement, with my tunic and robe torn, and then dropped to my knees and spread my hands to the Lord my God. ⁶ I prayed:  “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God! For our iniquities have climbed higher than our heads, and our guilt extends to the heavens. ⁷ From the days of our fathers until this very day our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities we, along with our kings and priests, have been delivered over by the local kings to sword, captivity, plunder, and embarrassment—right up to the present time.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, a question arose in my heart, inspired by Ezra’s prayer (9:6).  The question was: “How much does sin bother us?”   Does it keep us awake at night?  Does it weigh on our hearts and minds knowing its result?  Does it have no effect, and we continue business as usual?  The extent sin bothers us is the extent we love God and understand the Kingdom.

In Matthew 22:32, Jesus made an interesting statement. “God is not the God of the dead but of the Living.”  The only truly dead are those who go into eternity lost.  If we are in Christ, even if we die naturally, we are yet alive.

In the discussion with the dissenter about the greatest commandment, Jesus gave the key to life. First, love God Totally!  That relationship enables and empowers us to fulfill the second, love others as ourselves.  It is becoming one with God. It is God living and loving through us.   It is Agape in action!

A key to the relationship that will make all sin horrific to us is found in Matthew 25 and the 10 virgins.

Keys:

1. They were all virgins – Saved.

2. They all fell asleep.

3. Five had an inner depth (extra oil = developed life). Five did not.

4. The prepared went in when the bridegroom came. The unprepared went to seek restoration and were locked out.

It can be too late; delay and failure to develop a consistent relationship with Jesus can cost us eternally.   Today, or better, this breath is the only breath or time we are assured of. Eternity is too great a prize to risk losing.

Another is in the account of the 5, 2, and 1 talent.  Gifts are, according to God’s view of ability, not ours.  We are only responsible for stewarding the gifts we have.  Failure to do so is treated and viewed as rebellion. It exhibits a lack of trust in God and His ability, and it disrespects God’s grace.  That is a major no-no!

How much does sin bother us?  Ours or that around us!  That is revelatory as to where we are.  Are we the 5-talent, 2-talent believer, or the 1-talent believer? Are we the 5 wise or 5 foolish virgins?

Respond accordingly!  Make it right today, for tomorrow may never come!

2 Chronicles 33:10-13 – “The Lord confronted Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. ¹¹ So the Lord brought against them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria. They seized Manasseh, put hooks in his nose, bound him with bronze chains, and carried him away to Babylon. ¹² In his pain Manasseh asked the Lord his God for mercy and truly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. ¹³ When he prayed to the Lord, the Lord responded to him and answered favorably his cry for mercy. The Lord brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh realized that the Lord is the true God.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, one key reality gripped my consciousness – Longsuffering!   God’s incredible patience and mercy! I had to stop and ask, “Why?” “How can that be?”   It is so far out of the realm of human possibility (in our strength) that it is inconceivable. Why, Lord, Why?

In 2 Chronicles 33, we have the account of King Manasseh.  He was an incredibly evil and anti-God King for most of his life.  He did horrible things! In (v 10), God confronted him and the people, and they ignored God.

So, God sent the Assyrian Army to overcome and capture them. Manasseh was carried away to Babylon in chains.  The possible torture is not listed, but (v 12) suggests its existence. “In his PAIN Manasseh asked the LORD for mercy AND truly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors,”  God responded in Mercy!  That is Amazing Grace!

Then we read, “Then Manasseh realized that the LORD is the True God.” God’s Mercy opened his eyes!  This account should shatter all arguments that someone can go too far to be forgiven!  If you are still breathing and have any hint of conscience, there is Hope!

Peter asked for a loophole in forgiveness toward others, and Jesus closed that door! Forgiveness is infinite. How often? As often as it is needed. How often does God forgive us? How often do we desire God to forgive us?

As revealed in Matthew 18:32-33, our forgiveness to others (no exceptions) is just as God forgives us!   It must be from the Heart.   That is a whole other discussion.  From the heart reveals the true condition of the heart and who controls the heart.

Grace is a gift, not a recompense for acts. The question in Matthew 19:16 is, “How can I earn Salvation?”  It is a question multitudes ask in action if not words. The man said, “I’ve done these all my life wholeheartedly.”  That was a lie. It is humanly impossible to do some of them from the heart, like loving my neighbor as myself. Flesh can’t do that; only God’s Spirit can.

Who owns our hearts?  Our words, attitudes, thoughts, and deeds are revealing.   When Jesus has the whole heart, those things flow naturally, and we can and do demonstrate long-suffering, forgiveness from the heart, and manifest Agape! It’s the Heart!

LORD, help us to embrace and appreciate your long-suffering!

Matthew 16:13-20 –  ^“When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven! ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he instructed his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.”

As I prayed, read, and mused on the Word of God today, I had a sense of newness!   Something new is in the air.   Something not previously experienced (by us) forming like the cloud Elijah saw on Mt Carmel.  It may begin small and then become a full-blown, torrential flood of the Spirit.  It’s beginning to rain! Heavenly rain.  Life-giving rain. Listen for the sound.

But dangers are lurking in the shadows, hoping to steal our joy, hope, and vision.   In 2 Chronicles 26:16, King Uzziah became powerful.  He had success.  That’s desirable, but he succumbed to a threat to each of us.  He became proud.  

Pride begins as a tiny seed and grows into a consuming, choking plant that destroys.  Pride blocks the sunlight of God.  Pride focuses on self, elevating the self to the center and pushing God out. “But once Uzziah became powerful, his pride destroyed him.”   As long as we remain humble, we are usable!

We must also guard against becoming so tiny that we lose sight of God’s promises and see ourselves as unusable. When we are little in our own eyes, God can fill us and make us mighty warriors. Because it’s not us, but Him!

Matthew 16:13-20 provides a plethora of mineable treasure to bring us to fullness, guard against Pride, and bring liberty to captives.

The question each of us must definitively ask, and answer, is – “Who is Jesus to us?”   This is the key to the kingdom that Jesus spoke about to Peter.  The revelation of Jesus!  That revelation (rightly understood and applied) opens the door to power and authority that is beyond human comprehension.

Who is Jesus to me?  Is He the historical Jesus?  Is He the theoretical Jesus? Is He the mythological Jesus?  Is He the Living, Loving, and Reigning King of kings and Lord of lords?   Hebrews 13:8 declares Him to be eternally the same.  The same in person, power, position, purpose, and presence!

The revelation of Jesus as The Christ opens the door.  The revelation given to the apostle Paul in Galatians 2:20 empowers us to live and function as one with that Living Jesus!   Christ IN us, living His life THROUGH us, releases us from ALL bondage! ALL, not some, but ALL.

Who is Jesus to me?   Who do I say He is?   Who do I see Him to be?  WHO? I reveal that by my consistent actions and words.   If those reveal something other than The Living LORD, then run to the Cross and refuse to get up until that revelation becomes a reality!

Thou art The Christ, the Son of the Living God!    Jesus said in John 14:12 that if we see this revelation and believe what He did, we will do, and even greater things!  Forget the greater works or even the works and focus on Him!   If Christ is IN us, living His life THROUGH us, the natural byproduct is The Works!

To receive ALL He is, we have to give Him ALL we are!

LORD, help us to live in the newness of life in Jesus!

2 Chronicles 13:14-15 – “The men of Judah turned around and realized they were being attacked from the front and the rear. So, they cried out to the Lord for help. The priests blew their trumpets, ¹⁵ and the men of Judah gave the battle cry. As the men of Judah gave the battle cry, God struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, “The Power Of…” filled my thoughts.  The Power Of? Power of what? Thank you for asking.

1. The Power of Prayer.

In 2 Chronicles 13, Judah was being overwhelmed by the army of Israel. It looked bleak. They “cried” unto the LORD for help!   Then, out of faith and desperation, their natural instinct was to give a “War Cry!”   Their prayer and action moved God into action, and victory came.

2 Chronicles 14:11: Asa, King of Judah, was facing an army twice as large. In desperation and faith, he prayed the prayer of Solomon from which 2 Chronicles 7:14 comes. God moved, and victory came!

2. The Power of the Prophetic.

2 Chronicles 15:1-8, the Prophet Azariah gave a word and a warning to Asa, the king.  Then in (v 8), Asa was encouraged by the prophetic word and inspired to act.

In 2 Chronicles 20, we have Jehoshaphat facing annihilation, and he prays. God sends a prophetic word by Jachaziel. Jehoshaphat responded, saying to the people (v 20) – “Trust God and you will be safe. Trust the prophetic word, and you will win.” They did both, and God gave a miraculous victory.

3. The Power of Trust.

Matthew 7 is filled with enough life revelation to require a lifetime to digest. It is all about Trust! How can we persist in Asking-Seeking-Knocking if we don’t trust? Persistence requires faith and assurance that the one we are relying on is faithful and unfailing.

How can we follow the Golden Rule without Trust?  When wronged, having our egos bruised, and taken advantage of, the natural inclination is to withdraw or retaliate UNLESS we trust God! UNLESS we are 100% surrendered to God.

The Fruit of actions reveals the true condition of the heart.

4. The Power of the Word.

A Rhema from God transforms. Jesus wants the heart. He wants us to trust Him enough to become determinedly desperate!

If we realize the Power of Prayer, the Power of the Prophetic, the Power of Trust, and the Power of a Word, we will have a fountain for unshakable faith and a determination to persist. Victory will come!

Jesus made a perplexing statement in Matthew 9:37-38.  He saw the crowd and lamented that the Harvest was great, but the Laborers were few.  Think about that in the context of today.  We have churches on every corner (like Starbucks), yet the harvest is not being reaped due to too few Laborers. Why?  We have form but no power.  We are religious but not righteous.  We go through the motions, getting our religious fixes, but fail to take the message to the masses. We talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.  The actions reveal the heart.

We have the Power and Authority; why don’t we use it?  The victory is ours if we receive it! Time for action!

Have a victorious day in Jesus!