Day 151: He Gave Up His Spirit

The Daily Word: Sunday, May 31^st, 2020
2 Samuel 17:1-29
John 19:23-42
Psalm 119:129-152
Proverbs 16:12-13
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. – John 19:30

Jesus gave up His Spirit so that you could have His Spirit. How can a Man give His spirit as a gift unless He dies? This is why Jesus’ death was necessary: yes, to give His body as our substitute, but also to give us His Spirit!

Before He died, Jesus told His disciples they would be better off once He left:

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. – Jn. 16:7

Jesus’ death on the Cross means that His Spirit lives in you! The same Spirit who raised Him from the dead (Rom. 8:11). The same Spirit who empowered Jesus to perform so many miracles that, “…if they were written one by one…even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (Jn. 21:25)!

You have the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9). What else could you ever need?

Prayer:

Jesus, thank You for giving me Your Spirit! Holy Spirit, I ask that You come and invade my life. Take over my thought process. Tell me where to go, what to do, and what to say! I am Yours; and You are mine, in Jesus’ name!

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Day 150: Surrounded by Prophets

The Daily Word: Saturday, May 30^th, 2020
2 Samuel 15:23-16:23
John 18:25-19:22
Psalm 119:113-128
Proverbs 16:10-11
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.” – 2 Sam. 15:27

Zadok was David’s royal priest. He was also a “seer,” which can be translated “prophet.” The point is, David had officials in his administration who could discern the will of the Lord! They could see what God wanted to do before He did it. They could hear God’s voice and relay instructions to David so he could make wise decisions as king.

Do you want to be successful like David was? Surround yourself with men and women who hear from God. Are you a business owner? Hire people who hear from God. Are you a parent? Find a babysitter who knows Jesus and will pray for you. Do you have a team of intercessors? Ask some people in your life to cover you in prayer, and relay what God is saying about you, to you!

The key to success is discerning the will of the Lord. So surround yourself with people who hear His voice!

Prayer:

Father, I know why David was so successful. He heard your voice, and he was surrounded by other people who heard Your voice! I want to be like David. I pray You would surround me with prophetic people, in Jesus’ name!

Day 149: Never Too Far Gone

The Daily Word: Friday, May 29^th, 2020
2 Samuel 14:1-15:22
John 18:1-24
Psalm 119:97-112
Proverbs 16:8-9
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
So Joab went to the king and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Absalom. – 2 Sam. 14:33

Absalom messed up. He had killed his own brother, who was one of David’s sons! But David forgave him. Absalom was invited home to dwell in Jerusalem. When David saw Absalom for the first time since his return, he didn’t scold him or give him the cold shoulder! He kissed him.

This is exactly how God will receive you, no matter how good or bad your past is! He will invite you home. He will receive you. He will show you His face! And He will shower His love on you.

Absalom was far from perfect. So are you and I! But the King has never stopped loving you since the day you left. Return to Him, and be received into His open arms.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for never closing the door to Your Kingdom. I receive Your love today. I’m coming home! I refuse to be far from You, because Your word says I don’t have to be, in Jesus’ name.

Day 148: Absolute Authority

The Daily Word: Thursday, May 28^th, 2020
2 Samuel 13:1-39
John 17:1-26
Psalm 119:81-96
Proverbs 16:6-7
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should a give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.” – Jn. 17:1-2

God has given Jesus authority over “all flesh.” That means that, when you are hidden in Jesus, you no longer have to struggle with sin! You are no longer subject to the “lust of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). That also means that you no longer have to struggle with disease! You are no longer subject to the curse of sickness because, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13)!

Jesus has authority over “all flesh.” Over everything you could be going through. Over every obstacle you might be facing! And He sent me to remind you that He has already given you the victory over your current circumstance, in Jesus’ name!

Prayer:

Father, thank You for giving Jesus authority over all flesh! I invite Him to come and exercise that authority in my life: to cast out all sin, and to cast out all sickness, in Jesus’ name!

Day 147: Your Advantage

The Daily Word: Wednesday, May 27^th, 2020
2 Samuel 12:1-31
John 16:1-33
Psalm 119:65-80
Proverbs 16:4-5
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. – Jn. 16:7

The disciples were with Jesus every day. They spent time looking at Him; talking with Him; traveling with Him. They saw every miracle He performed! He filled them with confidence as He told them to go and, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons” (Matt. 10:8).

They were blessed because they were with Jesus! Yet Jesus said, “It is to your advantage that I go away.” He promised His disciples that they would actually be better off once Jesus left. Why? Because when Jesus left, He would send His Holy Spirit.

You are not powerless. You have an advantage! You don’t have to sit around and wish you had been alive when Jesus walked the earth so you could see God actually do something! You are not just next to Jesus; you are one with Jesus![1] You are not just with Him; He is in you! So you should expect to see more than what the disciples saw. You should expect to see signs, miracles and wonders everywhere you go! And you should expect to know Jesus better than you ever have before, when you lean on His Holy Spirit for help.

Prayer:
Father, thank You for giving me an advantage. I am so grateful for the indwelling presence of Your Holy Spirit: the Spirit of Jesus. Thank You for perfect intimacy with Jesus! And thank You for answered prayer, in Jesus’ name.

[1] “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” – 1 Cor. 6:17

Day 146: The True Vine

The Daily Word: Tuesday, May 26^th, 2020
2 Samuel 9:1-11:27
John 15:1-27
Psalm 119:49-64
Proverbs 16:1-3
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” – Jn. 15:1

There will be false vines in your life. There are things you can connect yourself to – hobbies, addictions, relationships – that won’t really give life! But Jesus is the true vine. He is the only One who can make your life what you dream it could be. He is the only One who can take away your pain and give you complete and perfect confidence that not only does God forgive you; He also loves you more than you could ever imagine!

Sever yourself from the false vines and connect yourself to the Source. Jesus is the true vine. He will replenish and replace anything that has been lost, and fill you up with life and love like never before!

Prayer:

Jesus, thank You for being the true vine! I will live my life connected to You. Help me to remove anything in my life that is distracting me from You! And help me to cling to You like never before, in Jesus’ name.

Day 145: There Is Always More

The Daily Word: Monday, May 25^th, 2020
2 Samuel 7:1-8:18
John 14:15-31
Psalm 119:33-48
Proverbs 15:33
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.” – 2 Sam. 7:1-2

David had everything he could ever want. He had become king over Israel, fulfilling the anointing that had been on his life since he was a teenager. He had victory over his enemies: so much so that he had, “…rest from all his enemies all around” (v 1)! David was content. But David still wanted to do more. He wanted to bless God by building a temple that would glorify His name!

No matter how blessed you already are, there is always more to do for Jesus. There are always more ways to bless Him! But here is the catch. We don’t do things for God because we have to. We aren’t working to try and earn His favor! We do things for God because we get to. We have the privilege of working to expand His Kingdom because we already have His favor!

David blessed God: not to find rest, but because God had already given him rest. God has blessed you so much. He has healed you! He has set you free! He has taken you from death into life! What will you do to bless Him back?

Prayer:

Father, You have blessed me so much. I want to bless you from a place of rest, just like David did. I want to give You more of my heart today than I ever have before! You are worthy of all the praise I can ever offer, in Jesus’ name.

Day 144: The Curse of Overconfidence

The Daily Word: Sunday, May 24^th, 2020
2 Samuel 4:1-6:23
John 13:31-14:14
Psalm 119:17-32
Proverbs 15:31-32
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.” Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.” – Jn. 13:37-38

Peter wanted to believe he could follow Jesus, even to the death. So he boldly declared his strength out loud: “I will lay down my life for Your sake” (v. 39). Peter pledged to follow Jesus, no matter what!

But we all know what happened next. Jesus was arrested and put on trial. Peter had three separate opportunities to preach Jesus at the risk of losing his own life; but in all three cases, he denied Jesus. “I do not know the Man!” Peter swore (Matt. 26:72).

Peter was overconfident in his own abilities! And His overconfidence led to failure and denial of Jesus. It is better to underestimate our abilities and ask God for help, than to overestimate our abilities and assume we can do it on our own. How might Peter’s testimony have changed if he had repented and admitted his weakness to Jesus, instead of proudly declaring his strength?

Prayer:

Father, I admit that I am weak! I know that when I admit my weakness, You show Yourself strong in me. Help me to lean on you for strength and support all the time, in Jesus’ name!

Day 143: Be A Foot Washer

The Daily Word: Saturday, May 23^rd, 2020
2 Samuel 2:12-3:39
John 13:1-30
Psalm 119:1-16
Proverbs 15:29-30
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. – Jn. 13:14

What does it mean to be a foot washer? At the Last Supper, Jesus had one final statement to make. He, “…took a towel and girded Himself” (v 4), and then He, “…began to wash the disciples’ feet” (v 5), one by one. Why did Jesus wash their feet? What did it mean?

First, washing feet is an act of humility. It shows that you have come to serve, not to be served.[1] Second, washing feet shows you are not afraid to get your hands dirty. Do you really want to make a difference in someone’s life? Walk with them through the dirty stuff. Don’t just help them when things are going well! Stay by their side when things are dirty and messy, and everyone else is running for the exits. Do you want to heal the sick? Find some sick people and get around them. Do you want to set the captives free? Well, the best place to start is prison!

The more you are willing to get your hands dirty, the more God can use you to clean. Jesus wasn’t afraid to get His hands dirty. Are you?

Prayer:

Father, I don’t want to run from messes anymore. I want to run right to them! If you need someone to go to a people group that really desperately needs help: send me. I am ready, and I am willing to be a foot washer, in Jesus’ name!

[1] “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Mk. 10:45

Day 142: A New Type of Love

The Daily Word: Friday, May 22^nd, 2020
2 Samuel 1:1-2:11
John 12:20-50
Psalm 118:19-29
Proverbs 15:27-28
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; you have been very pleasant to me; your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women. – 2 Sam. 1:26

When Jonathan died, David was distraught. He was “distressed!” Jonathan gave David something no one had ever given him before: he was a true brother. David reflected that the brotherly love he shared with Jonathan was, “…wonderful, surpassing the love of women.” There is a type of love a brother (or a sister) can provide that a romantic relationship simply cannot supply.

And Jesus wants to provide that same type of love to you. His lovingkindess is better than life (Ps. 63:3)! David is a type of Jesus. As we read about the life of this man who achieved victory wherever he went, we are supposed to think of Jesus! And Jonathan represents you and me: the Church. Jonathan wasn’t concerned with becoming king after his father Saul! He knew David was the rightful heir as the Lord’s anointed; so he supported and loved David as well as he could.

In the same way, our goal as the Church is not to grab power for ourselves. It is to glorify Jesus. Jesus is the One who is seated on the throne! He has shown us a love that is far better than any romance we have ever known. Can we exalt Him and glorify Him, and be willing our lay our lives down for Him, just as Jonathan did for David?

But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. – Prov. 18:24b

Prayer:

Father, I pray that everything I do would exalt Jesus. Help me be to Jesus as Jonathan was to David: always loving, always supporting, and always honoring in every way. Jesus, thank You for showing me a Covenant love that nothing and no one in this world could ever provide! I will lay down my life in return, in Jesus’ name.

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