Revelation 3:20 “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (NIV)
People that travel on business and staying overnight at a hotel, will often use a “wake-up call” service that many hotels provide. When checking in, a person can request that a “wake-up call” be made to the person’s room at a specific time.
This wake-up call is made to insure that the person the call is being made to, wakes up in time to start getting ready and make it to their scheduled appointment on time. When the hotel makes the call, the hotel has done their part to wake the person up.
If the person that the call is being made to does not answer the phone and get out of the bed when they receive the call, it is possible that they will either be late or miss their scheduled appointment.
2 Chronicles 7:14 “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.”(NIV)
I want to ask the question, is it possible that God has allowed this COVID-19 to be a wake-up call to the world? God may not always cause something to happen, but He can allow all things to happen.
Could it be that those of us that have been so busy with enjoying the pleasures in this world, have not heard the wake-up call that God has been making to us?
Focusing or getting caught up in the pleasures of this world such as money, security, or material items that we possess, can very dangerous and distracting. They can easily get our attention away from God.
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (NIV)
As born again believers, we are in this world but not of the world. We have to remain focused on whose we are, and at-tentative to hearing God’s voice that has called us into His wonderful light.
John 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”(NIV)
Daily reading of the bible and meditating in the word of God, will help with hearing what God is saying.
Romans 10:9-10 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
I encourage you, the next time you hear your phone ringing, don’t screen the call or let it go to voice mail, answer the phone professing your faith…it just might be a wake-up call from God.
VS 39 “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying “If you are the Christ, save Yourself and us”.
VS 40 But the other, answering, rebuked him saying “do you not even fear God, seeing that you are under the same condemnation?
VS 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man has done nothing wrong.
VS 42 “Then he said to Jesus, “Lord remember me when you come into Your Kingdom” [NKJV]
Brokenness can be many different things:
Not functioning properly; out of working order
Something or someone that has been interrupted, disrupted or disconnected
Incomplete
To be weakened in strength or spirit
Reduced to submission
The word “broken” is a verb meaning an action
The word “brokenness”is a noun meaning the name of something and typically refers to persons, places, animals, things, states or qualities.
In today’s world many times broken things are despised and discarded or thrown out. Anything that has been broken or we no longer need, we throw away. It is not uncommon for damaged or broken goods to be rejected, and that includes people. The world is full of people with broken hearts, broken spirits and broken relationships. Fortunately, we serve a God that is in the recycling business, and God’s people are recyclable.
Believers can experience two kinds of brokenness. The 1st is because of their own actions:
You brake on your own by sin or sinning
Here are some things in our lives that need to be broken
Examples
1. Pride
2. Self will
3. Stubbornness
4. Sinful habits
5. The desire to do it our way and not God’s way
6. Selfish/Self-centered desires
The 2nd kind of brokenness a believer can experience is to be broken by God. Examples
The Apostle Paul – on the road to Damascus
The nation of Israel – 40 years in the wilderness
Jonah in the belly of a fish – trying to flee from going to Nineveh
When God puts a call on your life to serve Him, you either do it willingly, or God breaks you, and you still wind up doing what he has called you to do. Jonah had to experience brokenness, and then he did what God had called him to do
Make no mistake about it, God has the ability to take that which has been broken and make it whole again. God is able to, Re-make, Re-new, Re-store, Re-cycle and Re-member. God can put back together that which has been broken. Not only can God make you whole from experiencing brokenness, God can remake (re-member to put back together) you into something better that He can use for His Kingdom and His glory.
There is something about reaching a breaking point that causes some of us to seek the Lord with a sense of urgency. King David was once a broken vessel and he prayed to God “create in me a clean heart, O God andrenew (re-member) a steadfast spirit within me”.Psalm 51:10 [NKJV]
Vs. 12“restore to me the joy of your salivation. And uphold me by your generous spirit.”
Vs. 17“the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a repentant heart-these, O God you will not despise.”
Often time’s people who are in the same situation that you are in will try to or make suggestions to you to get both of you out of that situation. They got themselves in but will give you a solution to get them out.
Philippians 3:18 and 19 describes one of the thieves that was crucified with Jesus
Vs. 18“For many walk, of who I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ.
Vs. 19whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame – who set their mind on earthly things”.
Notice what the thief says to Jesus in Luke 23 vs 39“then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him saying, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us.”
Not only does this thief question Jesus’s deity, power and authority, he attempts to temp or use Jesus to get him out of his situation.
Philippians 3:20 and 21 describes the other thief that was crucified with Jesus
Vs. 20“for our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the savior, the Lord Jesus Christ
Vs. 21who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed (re- membered) to his glorious body, according to the working by which he is able to subdue all things (putting back together) to Himself.
Notice what this thief says to Jesus “Lord remember me when you come into your Kingdom”
He acknowledges Jesus as Lord
He asks for salvation
He acknowledges that there is a kingdom
He also is asking to be remembered! He is asking that Jesus take all that brokenness that he has experienced in life and re-members that brokenness (put back together) with a glorious body like Christ’s 1st Corith 15 Vs. 42,43 and 44
We as believers can take two steps to have brokenness re-membered:
1stMatt 6:33“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
2ndJohn 14:14“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it”
As followers of Christ, the reality of experiencing brokenness can sometimes happen on a daily basis. Because of our inclination to sin, sinning can assume a false authority over brokenness in a believer’s life. If we allow sin to dominate ours hearts and mind, brokenness will drain the joy of having a relationship with our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
While brokenness is very real, thru the grace of Jesus Christ, brokenness will no longer be our boss or have dominion in a believer’s life.
Jesus has the power and authority to “re-member” us.
Matt 28:18 “and Jesus spoke to them saying all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth”.
Go to Jesus with brokenness, He has the power to “re-member” you…
“Lord Jesus, I believe that You have the power to re-member anything that is broken and heal brokenness. Thank you for putting back together that has been broken. Thank you for sewing, mending and “re-membering”…in Jesus name…Amen!
Exodus 3:13-14 “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?
14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.”(KJV)
When God told Moses to tell the children of Israel that “I Am” has sent me, God was giving Moses a “blank check” to give to the children of Israel, with the signature of God on the check reading “The Great I Am.”
“I Am” is everything that God is, with nothing being left out. He is the Alpha and Omega and everything that is between. He is God that never slumbers or sleeps (Psalm 121:4“Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”
The same “blank check” that God gave to Moses for the Israelite’s at the burning bush can be used today by believers. The funds in God’s account are unlimited, and there is no such thing as His check “bouncing” or being returned stamped “non-sufficient funds.”
Because God is the great “I Am”, we can go to Him with our every need and have faith that it will be met because “I Am” is always faithful. All we have to do is fill in the spaces on the blank check with the need.
God is unlimited in what he can do. The only thing that God cannot do is fail!
God is:
Never failing…Matt 28:20“Lo I Am with you always even to the end of the age.”
Protection / Rewarder…Gen 15:1“ I am your shield. Your exceedingly great reward.”
Deliverer…Exodus 6:6“I Am the Lord, I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
Healer…Exodus 15:26“For I Am the Lord who heals you.”
Substainer…John 6:35“I Am the bread of life.”
Savior…John 10:9-10“I Am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.
Direction…John 14:6“I Am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Philippians 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”(NKJV)
“Aba Father, thank you for giving your people a blank check that can supply a persons every need. You are truly the one and only great “I Am” in Jesus name…Amen!
Acts 13:22 “And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all of my will.” KJV
The bible describes many events that happened in David’s life. Some were pleasing in God’s eye’s, and some were not so pleasing.
From the time he was a young shepherd boy tending sheep, to growing into and becoming a king and a mighty warrior, David faced many challenges in his life, and did not always make right decisions.
Three of many events that happened in David’s life, points to the fact that he was after God’s own heart;
His fight with the giant Goliath
1st Samuel 17:45 “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
Repentance of his sin with His with Bathsheba
Psalm 51:1-4 “Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Vs.2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. Vs.3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Vs.4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight—That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.
Seeking God for strength and guidance
1st Samuel 30:6-8 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. Vs. 7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. Vs 8So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
When we read and study the life of David, we see that in spite of what David did, he was determined to do what honored and pleased God. Pursuing the heart of God had become second nature, and a life style of David.
The motives that a person has, can have a positive or negative effect toward the accomplishments in a person’s life.
Psalm 63:1 “God ,You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.”
Father in heaven, your servant David has set a powerful example of how we can live today, we your people can follow that example by being a people after Your own heart, in Jesus name…Amen!
Continuing in His service…Rev
Daily Scripture
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.
The mission of Wright Way Ministries is to be obedient to the call of God to a ministry that will allow us to minster to people of all ages and from all walks of life.
