Romans 12:4-5  – “For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, ⁵ so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, one thought was superimposed over all else: The Body of Christ.   The question arose in my mind, “Are we truly a body, the Body of Christ?”   We are ‘Living Stones’, which indicates individuality. However, each stone is to be subject to the builder of all things to be fashioned together into a building.  That building is a Body, the Body of Christ.

Romans 12 opens the understanding of this truth.  The foundation required is verses 1-2. Transformation comes through enlightenment, which flows from the renewal of the mind.  That new mind or way of thinking enables us to discern God’s will.

Verse 4 presents the vital truth that we are part of a multi-membered body, the Body of Christ.  But do we truly see ourselves as a body?  Where is our focus?  If our fleshly bodies operated like the church (universal and local), we would die physically.

The natural body does not wait for the hurting or needy part to ask for help.   The parts that can help automatically, without hesitation, respond to the need.   The strong parts do not begrudge the weak parts the help they need.  They do what is needed when it is needed, as long as it is needed.  We tend to be unaffected individuals, unaware or unmoved by others’ needs and struggles.  We say, “I will pray.” James addressed that.  It’s not words but actions that meet needs.

Romans 12:4-16 provides a guide to Body Life.   Romans 13:14 provides an incredibly powerful directive: “(You) clothe yourselves with our Lord Jesus Christ and disregard the lusts (inward focus) of the flesh.”   Then Romans 14:7-8 is a reminder, “None of us lives to (solely focused on) himself, and none of us dies to himself.”

Romans 15:1 verifies God’s desire and purpose – Body Life.   “We who are strong ought (are directed to and obligated to) bear the weaknesses of the weak and not seek to please ourselves.   I’ve heard believers say, regarding a fellow believer who was in a mess, “They made their bed, now they have to lie on it.”   The callousness of that destroys Body Life.

Again, I ask, “Are we the Body of Christ?”   Are we seeking ways to utilize our gifts, talents, and resources to benefit others?  Do we focus on our needs, wants, ambitions, desires, and plans, largely unmoved by the plight of our brothers and sisters?

Are we the Body of Christ?  Maybe we should rethink how the natural body functions and use that reality as our guide, spiritually. If the church learns to become the Body of Christ, we will see the power of God manifested beyond our ability to imagine.

We need to discover which Body member we are and thereby discover our gifts and responsibilities.   God desires us, and the world needs us to be the Body of Christ!  Together, we are unstoppable!   Victory is even more available than we think if we become the Body of Christ!

May you discover the power of unity and numbers in your walk with Jesus!

2 Chronicles 2:20 – “Believe God and be established; believe the prophets and prosper or succeed.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God, a reality captured my consciousness. In Ezra 6:14, we read, “And the exiles of the Jews did the work, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo…”

What was the reality that caused me to take note?  “They Prospered through Prophecy.”    If you remember, that is what Jehoshaphat said in 2 Chronicles 20:20 – “Believe God and be established; believe the prophets and prosper or succeed.”

In the Old Testament, they did nothing without a Word from God.   In the New Testament, they sought God but did not act until the Holy Spirit spoke.   Today, we don’t always pray, and too frequently, we don’t wait for a Word from the Holy Spirit.

Their cry was, ‘God, what do you want?’   Then they did that.   We make our plans, act, react, and pray, “God bless our plans.”  We then fret because of our lack of success and peace.

Walking in the Will of God is the pathway to success.   I fear we do not appreciate the need for a Word from God before we begin something.   We may quote Hebrews 13:8, that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but our actions often relegate that to a mythological status or theoretical concept.

If Old Testament Israel and the New Testament believers needed and sought a Word from God before they acted, what makes us think we do not need the same guidance?

We want God to bless our plans.  We lament when our plans fail to yield the success or peace we desire. If we want God’s blessings on our labors, we need God’s plan, timing, and process. “Forever, O LORD, Your Word is settled in Heaven.”   His Word does not fail.  The church has lost the prophetic voice because we do not value a Word from God as the Old and New Testament believers did.  

Jesus, our example, said, “I only do what I see My Father doing, and I only say what I heard My Father saying.” Are we better than Jesus?   We need a Word from God today! He speaks through His Word, His Spirit, and through the prophetic.

A problem has been that the self-proclaimed prophets have given flesh words, not words from Heaven.   The false has stolen the importance of the real. We need a Word from God Daily!   God is the speaking God. We are not always a listening people.

May the rich and bountiful blessing of the LORD flow to you and through you today!

2 Chronicles 33:1-9 – “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.  2 But he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.  3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.  4 He also built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem shall My name be forever.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.  6 Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists.  He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.  7 He even set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; 8 and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers—only if they are careful to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.” 9 So Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel.”

I realize that’s a lot of scripture for a short devotional, but it’s necessary.  Today, as I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, I was encouraged to pray for those charged with leadership.   I was also encouraged by God’s incredible, immeasurable, and unfathomable love and mercy.

In 2 Chronicles 33, we have the life, acts, and progression of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah.   Manasseh became king at 12 years of age.   He reigned for 55 years.   In verse 2, we read that his beginning was wicked.  He rebuilt the altars Hezekiah had torn down.   He rebuilt the shrines and idols of the gods of the land.   He practiced worship of the hosts of heaven in the two courts of the House of God.  (v. 4).   He, therefore, defiled the temple and even built altars in the temple to worship false gods.

However, it worsened, as we see in verse 6.    He made his son pass through the fire (human sacrifice).    He practiced “augury and soothsaying and sorcery, and inquired of the Chaldeans and familiar spirits…”   He was the epitome of evil.

Then, in verse 11, something happened.   The king of Assyria came and captured him and carried him captive to Babylon.   In verse 12, we read, “But when he was in distress, he prayed before the LORD his God and reverenced greatly the LORD GOD of his fathers.” Trouble brought him to his knees.     In verse 13, we find that God listened to his prayers.  “And he prayed before the LORD, and he (God) heard his voice and his prayer and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom.  THEN Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.”

In verse 14, we read, “Now after this…”    In his transformed condition, he took action.  He began national restoration.  He built the outer walls of the city for national defense.   He took away the strange gods and idols from the House of God.  He built an altar to the LORD.

My encouragement was that if God changed Manasseh, the wicked king, he can change leaders today.   The Holy Spirit reminded me of God’s incredible love and mercy. Sometimes, it takes a dire situation to get our attention.  That is true individually and nationally.

God always hears prayers of repentance and grants mercy.   What we do with that mercy is up to us.   As some in Scripture, we can turn back to sin after God came through for them, or, as Manasseh, we can live differently and take righteous action.

I was impressed to fervently pray for those in leadership.  No matter how wicked, God’s grace can penetrate any heart.  God’s grace is immeasurable, and His mercy is everlasting!  We need to be careful not to cause Him to send distress to get our attention.  He invites us in now, so let’s surrender all now!

Let the peace of God that passes all human understanding fill your hearts and minds today!

2 Chronicles 20:3, 12 – “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ¹² O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word today, I was intrigued by God’s attention to detail. In 2 Chronicles 20:3, we read, “And Jehoshaphat feared…”   That was not unexpected because a combined force assembled against him was much more powerful than his army. Then it says, “And he raised up his face to pray…” That caught my attention.

He raised up his face (looked heavenward) and prayed.   That was the way Jesus prayed, looking up to heaven.   We bow our heads, but here he looks to heaven. That is a sign of trust.

In verse 12, his prayer is noteworthy.   He petitioned God to reveal Himself.   He made no pretense – “We have no strength (we can’t handle this problem).”    He admitted this was beyond his ability to solve – “We do not know what to do.”    We often try to figure it out and implement plans to solve the problem.   Jehoshaphat said, “We do not know what to do, BUT…”   That is the doorway to the answer. The ‘but‘ either hinders or helps. Here, it is expressive of faith. “BUT our eyes are upon You!”   The chorus, “Where Could I Go But to the Lord?”    Fills my heart.

After Jehoshaphat, the successive kings of Israel are listed, and their good and bad qualities are detailed.   In 2 Chronicles 25:2, we read about Amaziah, the 25-year-old king.   “And he did that, which was right in the sight of the LORD, BUT not with a perfect heart.” The ‘but’ is a doorway, but not one of faith, but of defeat. He did right, but he wasn’t right. Religious but not pure.   Doing but not being.   We face that danger, too.

In 2 Chronicles 26, we find Uzziah, who fell prey to the problem faced by all.    In verse 16, “But when he became very rich, his pride was lifted up exceedingly, so he transgressed against the LORD…”

Riches could be fame, position, or success. If we look at where we have arrived and begin to become self-important, we open the door to pride, which ultimately leads to destruction.

God wants us not just to do right but to be right.   He is not looking for our acts but our hearts.   He wants us to have pure hearts that keep us humble in our own eyes so we can be used by Him.   Pride shifts the dependence from God to self.    Jehoshaphat depended on God.   Ahaziah did it right, but it was not right.   Uzziah let pride ruin him.

God has an assignment for everyone, but only as we trust Him, purify our hearts, and resist pride can that assignment be completed.

May your day be filled with the wonders of God’s miracles and directives!  

Acts 22:14-15 – “And he (Ananias to Paul) said to me, The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear the voice of His mouth.  15 And you shall be a witness for Him before all men of all that you have seen and heard.”

What a day to be alive!  This is the day the Lord has made, and we have an endless number of reasons to rejoice and be glad.   Today, as I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word, I was drawn to something in Acts 22 that resonated powerfully.   Paul was relating his Damascus road experience.  The Light (Jesus) blinded him physically.  Ananias came to pray for him and said something interesting and revealing.

In Acts 22:14-15, we have the revelation of God’s appointment of Paul as an apostle of the Kingdom.  In it, there are four key elements worth noting.

• Know God’s will.
• See Jesus.
• Hear His voice.
• Witness for Him – (Gospel).

For us to complete the mission and commission of Jesus.  To be His witnesses and do the works He did, we have to “Know” Him and His Will.   To truly “Know” Him, we have to “See” Him and “Hear” His voice clearly and correctly.    It is only as we “See” with the eyes of the Spirit and “Hear” with spiritual ears that we can stand in the “Knowledge” of Him and be effective “Witnesses.”

We can only give what we have.   If we try to witness for Him without Knowing, Seeing, and Hearing Him, we become like the seven sons of Sceva.

The power or strength to live the Christian life and fulfill our assignment is established on the foundation of “Knowing, Seeing, and Hearing Jesus.”  If we “Know” Him, we have “Seen” Him.  Remember, Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice and know Me.”   If Matthew 6:33 is a reality in our lives, and if He is “in” us and we are “in” Him, it is impossible not to serve Him.

The Harvest is ready, and the harvesters are few.   The preventative to distraction is Knowing, Seeing, and Hearing Him.  Divided hearts are distracted hearts.    People perish if the hearts of believers are divided.

When we “Know, See, and Hear Him,” a fire is ignited inside us, and He becomes our all.   We have a world to win, a winning message, an undefeatable power, and an eternal commission.   He is calling us to total surrender, will we?   The world’s eternity depends on our response.  If we know His Will, see His Face, and hear His Voice, it will be impossible not to respond.  It is Harvest time!

May your day be prosperous and joyous as you pursue God’s purposes for your life!