“Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul.  Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; I take refuge in You.”

 Psalm 143:8-9 

Our Lord Jesus taught two parables on the subject of prayer recorded in the gospel of Luke.  One is the parable of the friend who visited at midnight in Luke 11:5-10.  In this story one goes to a friend at the midnight hour asking for bread to feed an unanticipated visitor.  The friend declines, because he and his children are already in bed, but because of the man at the door’s persistence in knocking, the friend gets up and gives him as much bread as he needs!  The other parable is of the unjust judge in Luke 18:1-8.  It is the story of a widow who asks a judge for legal protection from an opponent, but because the judge did not fear God or respect man, he was unwilling.  Yet, because of the woman’s continual coming, the judge did give her legal protection to keep her from “wearing him out!”   

David was a character in the Old Testament who had learned the value of perseverance in prayer.  In Psalm 143 David lists two ways he was inspired to persist in prayer until the answer came.  The first is by remembering the Lord’s past works.  He says he purposely set his mind to remembering the days of old, meditating on the Lord’s doings in days gone by, musing on the work of His hands.  As he did so, he described himself as a parched land with his soul longing for the Lord, stretching out his hands to Him!  What a picture of one who so appreciates and meditates on the Lord’s past works that he is encouraged and inspired to persevere in prayer in his present circumstances. 

Another way David is inspired to persevere in seeking the Lord in prayer is by remembering the Lord’s present way.  He knew the Lord does not change (Malachi 3:6).  He says, “I trust in You!” (verse 8); “I take refuge in You!” (verse 9).  Is it not good to know (not just to think, or to hope) that Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8)! 

In ancient China the Chinese fostered hope through theater by using a two level stage for shows.  The main play was on the lower stage, while the final act was above.  When the actors on the lower level were about to make a mistake, or to give up hope, the people in the audience encouraged the actors by telling them what was happening on the upper level.  What a blessing to know what is happening on the upper level!  The final chapter of the book of life is there for us in the Word of God.  We can be encouraged and inspired to persist in believing prayer, knowing the faithfulness and truth of God’s Word! 

Jon Moore

“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life…”  Psalm 27:4a

The prophet-priest Samuel told King Saul concerning David, “The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart…”  What was there about David that caught the attention, affection and admiration of the Lord Himself?  David wrote many of the psalms, and he frequently revealed his heart’s passion in these writings.  Clearly, David’s life was largely directed by his passion to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life…”  Keep in mind that the house of the Lord represented the place where the Lord dwelled among His people in that day.  Thus, David longed to live each day in the awareness of the presence of God!

Now let us fast forward to our day.  Our modern-day churches seem to have everything we could possibly  need.  We have theologically trained pastoral staffs, a committed core of dedicated lay people that carry on the various ministries of the local churches, recognized organization skills, a world-wide printing and distribution arm and cutting edge social media.  Seemingly we have everything…but the one thing we can least afford to be without…passion, specifically a passion for the presence of God!  Please do not misinterpret what I am saying.  No doubt the vast majority would prefer to see a mighty moving of God in our day, but do not fail to understand there is a world of difference between having a PREFERENCE for God’s presence, and having a PASSION  for the Lord’s presence!

Listen to David again in Psalm 63:1, “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water!”  Two things of note:  1) The man or woman who would have a passion for the Lord’s presence must seek the Lord resolutely.  David said, “I shall seek You!”  At some point we must come to the place where we decide what we are doing is not working!  It is time for me to spend my days seeking the Lord!  The old puritan preachers used to preach that if you desire a blessing from the Lord, “Put yourself in the way of blessing!”  If you share with David the desire to live each day in an awareness of the presence of God, put yourself in the way of blessing.  Seek the Lord where He is:  In prayer, in the Word, In personal worship and in worship and prayer with other believers!

2)  The man or woman who would have a passion for the Lord’s presence must seek the Lord relentlessly.  Remember your school grammar lessons!  Seek is a verb, and verbs are action words.  All the resolve in the world is pointless if there are no corresponding actions.  We all know where the road leads that is paved with good intentions!  It is time to put feet to our prayers and seek the Lord!

One day a young man sought and received an audience with Augustine, a fourth century Christian leader.  Augustine asked the man what he could do for him.  “Can you help me know God?”  Augustine asked, “Do you really want to know God?”  Yes, the young man answered.  Augustine led the man to a beautiful garden of trees, flowers and a pool of water.  He walked to the water, dropped to his knees, bowed his head and closed his eyes.  The young man did likewise.  Without warning Augustine reached over, caught the man by the arm and back of his neck and plunged his face into the water.  After a while he let the man up long enough to get a couple of gasps of air, then plunged his head back under water.  Eventually he let the man up again, turned him face to face and said, “Young man, when you want to know God as bad as you want to breathe right now, then you will get to know God!”  What would happen in your life, in your family, in your church, in your town if YOU had a passion for the presence of God?

Jon Moore

“Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her!”  Mark 14:9

It is often said that there are different “seasons” in one’s life, one of which is funerals!  It is a time when there seems to be a stream of deaths of childhood acquaintances, family members, longtime friends, neighbors, etc.  We seem to be in one of those seasons.  I can’t speak for everyone, but for me, I think about standing before my Lord someday and longing to hear His words, “Well done, good and faithful servant…” Matthew 25:23a  That brings to my mind that Jesus highly commended Mary of Bethany for her service more than He did any of His earthly disciples, and it causes me to ask questions.  What was it that she did, and how did she go about doing it that caught the attention and admiration of the Lord?  I believe I see three distinct characteristics of a ministry that pleases the Lord!

1-It is always costly!  Mary broke a vial of very costly perfume and poured it on the head of Jesus (v 3).  The value of the perfume was over three hundred denarii (v 5).  One denarius was equivalent to one day’s wage, so this perfume was worth a year’s wages.  Add to this the fact that Mary’s sister, Martha was serving in the kitchen (John 12:2).  Wealthy people of the day did not serve in the kitchen, so this family was among the poor, which adds to the value of the perfume.  Mary’s gift was costly, and that is true of all ministry.  The cost may be in money, or time, or effort, but it is always there.

2-It is often criticized!  Some said it was a waste (v 4).  Others scolded her (v 5).  The Cross of Jesus Christ offends those who refuse to accept Him as the Lord who hung on it, and sometimes even those who believe on Christ can be misled by arguments that sound reasonable and right.  However, what initially sounds socially and culturally right doesn’t always turn out to be right!

3-It has One concern!  Jesus said, “She has done a good deed to Me!” (v 6).  On the morning of the resurrection of Jesus Christ a group of women came with ointments, spices and bandages to anoint the body of Jesus for burial, but they were denied that privilege, because the Lord was no longer in the grave.  He had risen!  The only woman who had the privilege and honor of anointing the body of Jesus for burial was Mary of Bethany, and it was because she came ‘beforehand’!  The blessings of ministry are reserved…for those who minister ‘beforehand’, before it is convenient, or affordable, or acceptable, etc. etc. etc. 

Each one must answer the question, “Will I be the one to minister/serve beforehand?”

Jon Moore

“I will be like the dew to Israel.  He will blossom like the lily, and he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon.”  Hosea 14:5

I looked out the window of my study one morning recently, and there was a thick fog.  I could barely make out the house across the street!  Immediately I thought of the book of Hosea where God is dealing with the northern kingdom (sometimes He refers to them as Ephraim, and sometimes Israel).  Through the first thirteen chapters he catalogs their many sins using figurative language.  The Lord says they are “joined to idols” (4:17); they have “mixed themselves with the nations” (7:8a) ; they are a “cake not turned” (7:8b); “strangers have devoured their strength” (7:9a); “gray hairs are sprinkled on them” implying deterioration (7:9b); they are “swallowed up” having lost their unique identity as God’s people (8:8a); “a vessel in which no one delights” (8:8b) and “a merchant in whose hands are false balances” (12:7)!  Yet in the final (14^th) chapter of the book God presents to them an invitation, “Return, Oh Israel, to the Lord your God!” (v 1).  Then in verse 5 He says if they return, “I will be like the dew to Israel!”

What a picture of revival, and what a hope that provides us in America today.  Surely it is obvious that we as the Lord’s people have turned aside from the principles and practices of our spiritual forefathers.  Surely there is agreement that we desperately need to return to the Lord our God!!  Surely the Lord’s promise to be like the dew to us will be a dramatic and powerful motivation for us to do so.  Notice three things that correlate between physical dew and spiritual revival.

1-Dew is typically found early in the morning!  Atmospheric conditions for the formation of dew are best following darkness.  In 14:1 God said, “You have stumbled because of your iniquity.”  The time has come for each believer to quit blaming others for the conditions of our day, confess one’s own sins and repent.

2-Dew collects heaviest in the lowest places!  Conditions for the formation of dew are best in low areas.  In 14:2 the Lord said, “Take words with you and return to the Lord.”  The Bible has a lot to say about the value God places on humility when it comes to those who come to Him, and we must humble ourselves if we are to truly agree with our heavenly Father (confess) about our own sin and repent.

3-Dew does not form in windy weather!  Wind keeps the moisture laden air away from the cool surfaces of grass, leaves, etc.  14:3 reads, “Assyria will not save us (reliance on political alliances).  We will not ride on horses (reliance on rentals from Egypt); Nor will we say again, ‘Our God’ to the work of our hands (reliance on self-made idols).”  Remember that Jesus said, “The flesh profits nothing.” (John 6:63)  Anything man-contrived is doomed to failure.  Only God-initiated brokenness, confession, repentance and reconciliation leads to God’s blessedness!

Jon Moore

“Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”

Matthew 2:11b

For several days prior to our family’s Christmas gathering I had been thinking of the Lord’s gifts He has given to all mankind, but for the sake of our time together (and the attention span of small children) I limited my remarks after reading the Christmas story from Matthew’s account to three specific gifts.  One gift God has given to us is the gift of family.  The Bible says, “Behold, children are a gift from the Lord.”  (Psalm 127:3)  One of our grand-daughters told us that her family would be attending six different family Christmases!  It takes commitment to take time to celebrate and embrace God’s gift of family.  Don’t let the season slip away without expressing your love and appreciation to family members and to the Lord for His gift of family.  Another gift from the Lord is the gift of friends.  The wise man Solomon wrote, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”  (Proverbs 17:17)  It has been said, “When life begins to fall apart, one finds who their real friends are!”  It is wonderful to know many people, but a true friend is a rarity.  The last seventeen months have borne that out in my own life, and it has been an incredible blessing to be blessed by God with friends!  It would be good to start off a new year by expressing your love and appreciation to those who are friends in your life.

The third gift we have been given by God is indeed the greatest, the gift of His firstborn.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  (John 3:16)  Unfortunately many people have misunderstood the meaning of the word, “believes”.  Translated from the original writing of the New Testament, the word means, “To trust in; To cling to; To rely on.”  To believe in Jesus means to trust Him for forgiveness.  We have all sinned (Romans 3:23), and Jesus has satisfied every demand by heaven for the payment of our sin debt (1^st John 2:1,2)  Secondly, to believe in Jesus means to cling to Him for faith.  The Christian life is a life impossible to live for anyone but the Lord Jesus Himself, so we cling to Him for the faith to function freely.  Thirdly, to believe in Jesus means to rely on Him for fulfillment.  Jesus told His followers, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”  (John 14:3)  When the time comes to leave this earthly life, we rely on Jesus to fulfill His promise to come again to us and take us with Himself to our eternal home in heaven!  Don’t fail to receive and claim your gifts from the Lord:  Your family; Your friends; and His firstborn, Jesus!

Jon Moore