John 14 - "The Commission"

 

God took me to John 14 this morning to ponder upon Jesus' words given to His disciples that are applicable to us today. He gave them assurance they would be ok when He left this earth. He encouraged them to continue on doing what He taught them. John 14:23-24 reads in the VOICE: Anyone who loves Me will listen to My voice and obey. The Father will love him, and We will draw close to him and make a dwelling place within him. The one who does not love Me ignores My message, which is not from Me, but from the Father who sent Me. These words are plain and simple on how we are to live loving Him. There is the gift of eternal life with Him when we do so. Jesus gave direction in this chapter of how we are to live while on this earth. He spoke of the importance of loving Him so we will walk in obedience to Him. He spoke of living in His peace in verse twenty-seven. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. There are going to be things that cause issues in life but we do not have to allow the enemy an open door through such issues. He will play havoc when allowed into our lives. He will increase anxiety and cause us to stumble in our faith when given an open door. I like how Matthew Henry describes it. The best evidence of our love to the Father is, our doing as he has commanded us. Let us rejoice in the Saviour's victories over Satan the prince of this world. Let us copy the example of His love and obedience. Yes! God is victorious over the enemy when we allow Him to be. We do not have to wallow around in the 'junk' the enemy tries to put upon us. Instead we need to realize God's love is greater and where we need to live. Cain sings a song called "The Commission" that encourages me to keep on doing what God puts before me even when I feel like giving up. 

End of the journey
The end of the road
My spirit is with you
Wherever you go
You have a purpose
And I have a plan
I'll make you this promise
I'll come back again
But until then

Yes! God has a purpose for me and I desire to fulfill the plan He has for my life. There are definitely things that I don't understand the 'whys' of but I do not have to understand them. It is good enough for me that His plan for my life is before me as I listen and am obedient. Praise His Holy Name I do not have to know details nor do I have to fret over the 'what ifs' of life because He has everything taken care of.

Dear Jesus, Thank You for the first night of VBS being such a blessing! It was another first for me to do on my own and You blessed me in abundance through it. Thank You for giving me the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energy to do what You put before me! Cleanse me so I can be who You desire of me. May You pour out of my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts today in a mighty way. I pray for many who are dealing with severe weather to lean into Your strength. I pray for Jo Ann to have peace this morning with her dental procedure and for Bob and Beth safety as they travel. I pray Your peace over many going through difficult days. My Momma; my sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Mike; Norma Hall; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; Serena and her husband; Vivian; Vivienne; some young ladies with anxiety; a man in rehab for anger issues; a young man out of rehab who needs strength in his daily walk; Rhonda; Ken and Elaine; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Preacher Bill Watts; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; Timmy; Amber; families in turmoil; Ms Savon's friend; Cyndi; Doug and Gay; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many who are dealing with 'c' and/or going through treatments... Sharon's daughter Ashley; Chrissy's cousins; Shirley Jones; Cait's friend with leukemia; my pastor friend with daily chemo; Betty's husband; my friend with mesothelioma; Judy Link; Little Ivy; and Little Judson. I pray for Janice and her family with the loss of her sister and other families experiencing loss. I pray for: Jonathan whose mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor, the Long Family, Vickie's son Jim, and Russ. Thank You for continued improvement with Pastor Sam and Baby Henry! Thank You for being My Peace! Amen.