Elevate|Church - Mankato MN

Hey praying friends!
Let us consider a promise of Jesus that invites us, should we be
willing, to examine our hearts.

In Luke 12:22-31, Jesus teaches us not to worry about the basic
needs of our lives and tells us to seek His kingdom. He ends this message with these words:

"'Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to
give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor.
Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and
no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will
be also.'" (vs 32-34)

"...God our Father will provide for all of our needs (v. 31). He does
so because as our perfect Father He knows our needs (v. 30). He
cares for us deeply and considers us very valuable (v. 24), and it is
His good pleasure to give us what we most need for eternal as well
as earthly purposes (v. 32). Only this vision of our heavenly Father,
combined with the promise of eternal riches (v. 33), can motivate us
at the heart level to live free from the love of money (Heb. 13:5) and find eternal joy in following Christ." (ESV footnote)

In our time with the Lord, may we invite the Holy Spirit's loving conviction, and ask Him to reveal what our hearts' truly treasure. May we respond in confession and repentance, where needed, and seek His enablement to experience the eternal joy in following Christ!!

written by kmt

Hey praying friends!
Please consider taking a mini Sabbath to stop, rest in, delight in
and contemplate the Lord. (Scazzero)

Let us next consider the attribute of God as a person. One of the ways God has revealed His personhood to us is through the Scriptures where we learn that He has an intellect, emotions and a will.

The following is only a sampling of what is revealed of God's intellect, emotions and will:

- Intellect: "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" (Isaiah 55:8-9)

- Emotions: The Lord's "heart was filled with pain." because of the
peoples' sin. (Genesis 6:6)
- "...He rescued me because He delighted in me." (Psalm 18:19)
- "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth..."
(Romans 1:18)
- "This is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:10)

- Will: "In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will ..." (Ephesians 1:11)

In our time with the Lord, may we be blessed to understand more and more the magnitude of God as a relatable person, and may this understanding lead us to praise and worship Him!!

written by kmt

Hey praying friends!
Another encouraging promise is found in Psalm 48. Here the
Sons of Korah, the Levitical choir, sing praise to God; acknowledge
the beauty and security of His Holy city; and acknowledge several
of His attributes (Almighty, love, righteous, just). The final verse
concludes with the promise: "For this God is our God for ever and
ever; He will be our guide even to the end." (v 14)

In our time with the Lord, may we begin by praising and thanking
God for who He is and that we are secure in Him forever when we
place our trust in Him. May we also cling to the promise that He
will be our guide to the end whether we are uncertain of the next
moments of the day; where He is leading us to serve Him; or whatever lacks direction or clarity in our lives!!

written by kmt

Hey praying friends!
Please consider taking a mini Sabbath to stop, rest in, delight in
and contemplate the Lord. (Scazzero)

Let us contemplate the attribute of God's perfection as described
in the outpouring of who He is! The following are seven examples:
- "'His works are perfect,'" (Deu 32:4)
- "'As for God, His way is perfect;'" (2 Sam 22:31)
- "'...Him who is perfect in knowledge'" (Job 37:16)
- "The law of the LORD is perfect," (Psalm 19:7)
- "...perfect in beauty, God shines forth." (Psalm 50:2)
- "...in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things,"
(Isaiah 25:1)
- "God's will is ... good, pleasing and perfect" (Romans 12:2)

In our time with the Lord, may we be blessed to understand more and more the magnitude of God's perfection, and may this understanding lead us to praise and worship Him!!

written by kmt

Hey praying friends!
This week, let us be encouraged by the Lord's promise that He
hears and answers our prayers!

In Psalm 86, David acknowledges: "You are forgiving and good,
O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer,
O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will
call to you, for you will answer me." (vs 5-7)

Scripture also reminds us that: "Surely the arm of the LORD is not
too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities
have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face
from you, so that He will not hear." (Isaiah 59:1-2)

In our time with the Lord, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find
grace to help us in our time of need." May we trust in His delight
to forgive us, and may we trust that His "yes", "not yet" or "no" is
His very best answer to our prayers!!

written by kmt

Hey praying friends!
Please consider taking a mini Sabbath to stop, rest in, delight in
and contemplate the Lord. (Scazzero)

Patience is another one of God's many attributes. A great example of His patience is in the delay of His judgment of sin; in Romans 2:4,
Paul writes: "do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness,
forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?"

In Nehemiah 9:30 as a part of the Levites' confession on behalf of the nation, they acknowledged: "'For many years you were patient with them'" before handing them over to their enemies for judgment.

Paul speaks of God's patience towards him in 1 Tim 1:16 where he
states that he as "...the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life."

And finally, Peter informs us: "The Lord is not slow in keeping His
promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
(2 Peter 3:9)

In our time with the Lord, may we be blessed to understand more and more the magnitude of God's patience with us, and may this understanding lead us to praise and worship Him!!

written by kmt

Hey praying friends!
Another conditional promise made by the Lord to His people is
found in 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 = "'When I shut up the heavens so
that there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land
or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called
by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and
I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.'"

While the Lord is speaking to His covenant people, in a specific
time, regarding the promise land, we can rightly claim the two
promises that the Lord will hear us and forgive us if we humble
ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from our sinful ways.

In our time with the Lord, may we humble ourselves, pray, seek
His face and turn from our sinful ways. Let us also continue to
pray for our churches and our nation; "Who knows? He may
turn and have pity" and relent from sending calamity. (Joel
2:13-14)

written by kmt