Damon Thompson at The Ramp: Glory Follows Order

This is a Powerful Message. See more at The Ramp

When Satan our enemy comes against us we must do as David: encourage ourselves in the Lord then inquire of the Lord & recover all! 1 Sam 30

Grace & Peace.

Devotion: Read Psalm 23. Is the Lord your shepherd? Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd..." Jn 10:11 Come to the Cross by which means Jesus may be our Shepherd

At End of Day: My Refuge

Psalm 142:5 I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.

We live in a fallen world where the effects of sin entering the world are felt on every hand and there is nothing but the full Wrath of God to look forward to, but in Christ we may find refuge.

What is a refuge? According to Webster's it is 1. Shelter or protection from danger or distress 2. That which shelters or protects from danger, distress or calamity; a strong hold which protects by its strength, or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness; any place inaccessible to an enemy.

Jesus is all those things and more to those who receive what He did on the Cross for us and continue to look to it as the object of Faith. He took God's Wrath that must be poured out upon sinners for us and He defeated Satan so that He has no legal right to us anymore, it is sin that gives him that right. In Christ, we are as Noah in the Ark, shut up with God.

Jesus is those things, He is a refuge whether we accept it or not. The key to it, however, is that one little personal possessive pronoun, "my." If you have not placed your Faith in Him and trusted in His finished Work at the Cross, it is of no benefit to you that He is "a" refuge. We all must be able to say, Jesus is "my" reguge. If He is  not, cry out to Him now.

At End of Day: Mystery Solved

Colossians 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints. The saying is that God works in mysterious ways and He surely does. However, in Christ the mystery of Who He is, how we may know Him and live for Him and by Him is made known to His saints. Who are His Saints? His Saints are simply all who have come to God by means of the Cross, which is the only way anyone has ever, may now, or ever will come to God. (John 14:6). I am so thankful that God loves us so much that He revealed Himself and want each of us to receive that Revelation. Jesus said, "...he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father..." (John 14:9b). We don't serve an unknown distant God that is uninvolved but One that dwelt among us in the flesh, died in our place, and now may live within us. He is not only Sovereign over all but personal with those who may call Him Father, those who have come to the Cross.

At End of Day: One Thing is Needful

I find myself fretting and worrying over things, not bad things, just things. Things that have to be done but are not life or death. Things that are important but not worthy to make me worry or cause stress, nothing is worthy of that, yet I allow it to happen. Luke 10:40-42 tells the story of two of Jesus' followers, Mary and Martha, that He was visiting. Mary was sitting at his feet, listening to Him and worshipping Him and Martha was anxiously preparing the meal and angry with her sister because she was not helping her. These were sisters that both loved Jesus. What Martha was doing needed done and in itself was not wrong but the way she was doing it was wrong and more importantly she was placing emphasis on doing, i.e. works, rather than simply resting at the feet of Jesus in trust and adoration. When this does happen, almost daily, I have to refocus and allow the Holy Spirit to remind me of Jesus Words in verses 41-42 of Luke 10, "41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Remember that as you face what life demands, "...one thing is needful." That one thing is Jesus. He completed all we need on the Cross and we must simply look to Him in Faith.

Todays Thought: [God's mercies] are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (Lam. 3:23) - at the Cross we may all start fresh - as often as needed!