Devotional
SPIRITUAL CEDAR
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Psalm 92:12
Sadly, the majestic cedar trees of Lebanon are few and far between today compared to how they covered the mountains in biblical times. They did not grow in Israel, but only in the higher elevations to the north. They grew straight and strong, up to ninety feet tall, and could live for three thousand years. And they were highly prized for building. King David lived in a cedar palace, and Solomon contracted with Tyre to bring great rafts of cedar logs, with which to build the Temple, down the Mediterranean coast.
Lebanon cedars are a perfect analogy for the growth of the righteous. First, they must have the right conditions. And when they do, they grow slowly, stand up straight against the elements of the world, and become highly prized for their usefulness. Such are the elements of spiritual growth. If you are growing spiritually, it is because you have put yourself in the right environment, you are strong enough to resist the world, and you are being used by God. If not, it may be time for a change.
Like a cedar, growth for a Christian is normal and is to be expected, with the ultimate result of being valuable in service.
All growth that is not towards God is growing to decay.
GEORGE MACDONALD[1]
[1] David Jeremiah, Turning Points with God: 365 Daily Devotions (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Momentum, 2014), 298.
Pray This Prayer Until Resurrection Sunday Everyday
I pray Father in heaven thank you “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give me the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of my heart enlightened, that I may know what is the hope to which he has called me, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in me, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward me which I believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
Ephesians 1:17-23 ESV as my daily prayer.
“For this reason I pray before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant me to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith—that I, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that I may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
In Jesus Name Amen
Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV
Vision
To develop people with the Word of God making them more like Christ.
To tear down the walls of misinformation in people lives, which will cause a change in their life and affect the people around them.
To create an environment of worship for all people.
To see God’s people live an overcoming abundant life.
Faith
Faith is a spiritual principle that taps into the creative power of God made available through man, so that man can transform conditions, circumstances and situations in the natural realm over which he has been given authority.
Great Commission
The most important missional conversation, the most compelling, the most invigorating, missional conversation, the one that our Lord Jesus Christ is the most interested in, is the missional conversation that you and I will have with those who don't know Him yet those who are lost, those who are last, those who are least, and those who are lonely.
Dedication
To love and serve the Lord with all of your heart, mind, strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.
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Our devotion is from the book of Mark
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