Matthew 5:13a : “you are the salt of the earth”
Vision: to love God wholeheartedly, to serve and preserve one another and to bring flavour to the rest of the world
http://www.hannahscupboard.com/nissi.html
Jehovah Nissi: The Lord Is My Banner
We rally 'round the flag each Fourth of July in the United States to celebrate our freedom. We wave flags, bake flag cakes, display flags and sing a song about our flag - the Star Spangled Banner, at the opening of every baseball game.
The most important thing flags or banners do, however, is mark victory. It is well understood that the conquering army in any battle has the right to remove the defeated country's flag and replace it with their own, usually in the highest spot possible for all to see. The country with the conquering flag has won and now they are in control.
THE LORD IS MY BANNER
It was over a great battle in the Old Testament that God revealed himself as Jehovah Nissi, THE LORD IS MY BANNER. It happened at the time when Israel was wandering in the wilderness after miraculously crossing the Red Sea. Amalek was the enemy who came against Israel in Rephidim. In Exodus 17:8-16 Moses called on his young apprentice, Joshua, to lead the Israelites into battle while he stationed himself on top of a hill to pray. He had with him his brother Aaron and his assistant, Hur. As Moses lifted his hands and prayed, the Israelites prevailed in the battle but when he let his hands down, Amalek prevailed. So Aaron and Hur set Moses on a rock and held his hands up for him until the battle was totally won.
At the end of the day there was victory and God told Moses to write down what had happened and read it in Joshua's hearing. God was thinking ahead to the time when Moses would be gone and Joshua would be called upon to take over leadership of God's chosen people. Joshua would be the one to cross the Jordan River into Canaan (the Promised Land) and defeat Jericho. He would have plenty of battles ahead of him and God wanted him to remember back to this one and the victory God had given them.
Instead of raising a flag, Moses built an altar because in those times, an altar was often used as a place of remembering or marking an important event. This is where Moses called God Jehovah Nissi because he understood the revelation that God himself is our banner, our victory. He is the one who wins our battles. He still does that by the way. When Moses wrote that story down for Joshua, he was also writing it down for our benefit so that we will remember it as we go into battle. How do we know that?
There is an interesting thing that God says when he tells Moses to write down the story. God says that he "…will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven." (verse 14b) That means that this enemy would not rise again - he was defeated UTTERLY. In verse 16, however, Moses says; "…the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." How is it that God is saying the enemy was completely defeated and yet that there would be future wars with Amalek in future generations?
Amalek in this story represents our enemy, Satan, who is active against God's people in all generations. Even though the literal "Amalek" at that time was completely defeated by Israel's army, other Amaleks would rise up against Israel and on down to you and me in our own generation. When you gather under Jehovah Nissi as your banner, trust him that the outcome of your battle will be the same as it was for Moses and Joshua at Rephidim. God is saying there will always be war; don't be surprised by it. He is also saying he is always the winner.
What is your battle right now?
Drugs? Pornography? Bitterness? Loneliness? Cancer? Dissention? Depression? Hopelessness? Bankruptcy? Injustice? The list goes on and on and if I haven't named your battleground you can just fill in the blank. You know what you are at war with and you know that in the heat of battle it is hard to see the victory at the end. Remember Jehovah Nissi. Call upon Jehovah Nissi. Raise your hands in prayer the way Moses did. Don't give up. Ask others to hold your hands up if you get tired. God is faithful to fulfill his word. When your battle is over you will have the right to replace your enemy's flag with your own. Set it on high for all to see that Jehovah Nissi is your God who has secured your victory.
Now learn about Jehovah-Shalom OR pick any of the NAMES OF GOD of your choice to study next.
I've been reading this book on prayer by em bounds, and thought that it's really good- good enough to make me want to switch on my comp and share it with you!
I shall just take out bits and pieces on it from prayer and obedience
Obendience- a virtue deemed 'better than sacrifice, and to harken, betten than the fat of rams'.
Obedience is also faith in action, and is the test of love- "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one that loves me"
Obedience can ask with boldness at the throne of grace, the disobedient ones are timid and hesitent in their supplication.
Hence, if you have a desire to learn how to pray, you must also have an earnest desire to learn desire to learn how to do God's will, to have a comsuming desire to obey him.
Faith is its highest form, is the attitude as well as the act of the soul surrendering to God, in whom his Word and his Spirit dwells.
Running with Rest:
If we're running, how can we be resting at the same time? Physical rest is very important, but in order to keep running we also need an inner rest - the peace and refreshment that come only from the Lord. Oswald Chambers describes this inner rest: "I will stay you. Not - I will put you to bed and hold your hand and sing you to sleep; but - I will get you out of bed, out of languor and exhaustion, out of the state of being half dead while you're alive; I will imbue you with the spirit of life, and you will be stayed by the perfection of vital activity."
God's rest can be ours. It comes when we abide in Him and stay active in His business, not our busyness.
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- John Kenneth MacKenzie
Chapter 13
Submission to Authority
- All authority on earth is established by God. I think we always tend to miss out the all.
Sometimes, it's really hard to respect certain people who are in charge. Like it seems that 'I think I can do a better job or he can do a better job than him'
But the point is that we can't be selective on our faith and say that "i don't think God put him there"
Pray for those in-charge today. Pray for your own hearts too, that we will not think too highly of ourselves, for us to be humble and learn to submit to our authority.
Then Paul moves on to love. I find it hard to connect Paul and love. But I think now that Paul does really know about love.
What are the things that Paul asks us to do in this portion of the chapter?
Romans 14
The Weak and the Strong
I think it's pretty straighforward:) What is Paul calling us to do? And why? Was Paul really talking about food?
Anyway, the lesson i took from 14 was more on GIVE THANKS! :) from v 6.
Impressive really, that Paul still slips in all these in the midst of teaching us something else.
Romans 15, is a continuation from 14.
How will you apply what you've learnt to the others in saltshakers?
I personally like verse 5 which says
" May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"
I pray this for all of you! I'm sure that by now, the camp and whatever commitments you've made have faded into distant memory, but continue to press on. The camp was a waterbreak. Like they always say, it's not about starting well, it's about finishing well. :)
Paul ends his letter with a plan and a request for prayer. What are your prayer needs? Dare you open your heart and let others know of how they can pray for you too? Asian culture deems it inappropriate for us to share our struggles. But think of it as encouraging each other, exhorting each other. Time to put down your masks.
Finally,
Romans 16
Personal greetings.
My assignment to you is to find out about all the people listed in chapter 16. And perhaps your devotion will move off from there.
Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleaseing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship.
1. Therefore- So now comes the action after all the theory.
2. From Chapters 11 and other previous chapters Paul was talking about God's mercy. What do you know if it already?
3. Action:
i) to offer your bodies as living sacrifices {that must be holy and pleasing} - have you been 'holy and pleasing' Dare we offer god anything that is not? I think more often than not, we do. But remember that what is to be offered to God must be holy and pleasing
ii) To not conform to the pattern of this world- what's this world's pattern?
iii) to be tranformed by the renewing of your mind. [ and the subaction is to test and approve God's will]
on LovE: what are the 5 points that Paul brought up? I have 5, you may have more:)
Last qn: Why does Paul say in verse 3 to not think of yourselves more highly than you ought? and why to think of yourself in judgement in accordance with the measure of faith that God has given you?
what do you think?
Paul loved the people so much so taht he was willing to give up his own salvation so that all men could believe and have that relationship with God. Many people think that Christianity is about following rules, for the record, it's not. It's about a relationship with God.
I think this chapter answers alot of questions. We often cry out unfairness to a sovereign God. which is quite ironical. Throughout Genesis, you can see God choose... He choose Jacob over Esau, He choose Isaac to bless as well. But who are we to cry unfair? Does not the potter have the right to make out the the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? (v. 21)
Reading Romans, I've come to understand that all of us were in a sense destined to go down down down like Sodom and Gomorrah. We simply dont deserve any kindness at all. But God desired that none should perish and offered his son in replacement.
What's your take on it?
Romans 7
I think Paul's illustration from marriage gives us a clear idea of who we are bound to now. I always think of Hosea and Gomer, and Gomer's desire to keep returning back to her old ways. That sounds like me.. but i'm glad to be afforded the opportunity where I'm 'released from the law', and I can 'serve in a new way of the Spirit'
how apt, the part about struggling with sin. I can identify with it everyday. It really is a struggle, and then you add a -ing, because it happens everyday. What are some sins that you've been struggling with? I just watched "Fireproof". (Great movie!) The male lead in the story struggled with selfishness and pride. As with most movies, it's a happy ending, as it is with us too where Paul proclaims " Thanks be to God" because he rescued us.
Romans 8
Don't you like the first verse of this chapter? There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Christ set us free from the bondage of sin, which the law was unable to do for us. He became the sin offering to meet the righteous requirement of the law. I think we always talk about the grace and love of God, but we seldom mention the holiness of God. This is where it comes in. Dont abuse grace. Revere God. I'm learning too.
So ponder
1. What does it mean to live in accordance to the Spirit? and Why must we live in accordance to the Spirit?
2. Heirs. It's a honour to be heirs. Do you know what we inherit?
3. Why is it important that we pray in the Spirit? Ask me if you really want to know.. hahah. I just got my answer from reading AW Tozer's book.
4. I love the last verse of the chapter. What does it mean to you personally? "We are more that conquerors"- what made Paul say that?
It is a continuous cycle. The more you draw near and quench your thirst with God the more you will experience purity. The more you experience purity the more you will feel the freedom you need to keep on staying in His "holy place" and drinking His presence.
http://www.tasteheavennow.net/freedom_from_shame/purity_and_not_waiting.htm