MONDAY MORNING!

"... we may ..."

"In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence."
 -- Ephesians 3:12

Isn't that exciting to know? In Christ Jesus and through faith in Christ Jesus we -- you and me -- all believers -- may approach God -- The Creator -- with freedom and confidence.

Nehemiah as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes could not approach the king without being asked. And what about Esther? Even though she was made queen to King Xerxes, she was not allowed to approach the presence of the King unless she was asked by him to be in his presence.

"... any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king had but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life." -- Esther 4:11 

The one time she was asked to do this she tried to get out of it but Mordecai reminded her,

"... And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" 

-- Esther 4:14

Well, the gold scepter was extended and Esther was granted safe access to King Xerxes. What we need to see is that we have access to the the god of all creation 24/7. With freedom, because nothing is holding us back -- with boldness, because nothing is holding us back -- with confidence, because nothing is hold us back. No thing real -- nothing abstract thing, no spiritual thing, no rules, no regulations, no fears -- NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING can keep us from approaching God. EXCEPT! (Wasn't expecting that were you?) EXCEPT, YOURSELF. With boldness and with assurance "we may" approach God without any fear of rejection, reprisal, rebuffing, or loss of life. The choice is yours. The choice is mine. The choice is there for all believers.

Bottom Line: May we all understand that nothing is stopping us from approaching God at anytime, any place, for any reason. May we know and realize the boldness, the freedom and the confidence we have in accessing the God of all creation, the King of kings and Lord of lords. May we know that -- "we may." And then, choose to approach.  Amen? Amen!

MONDAY MORNING!

"Search me..."

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there  is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." -- Psalm 139:23-24

Psalm 139, a psalm of David. We could devote several weeks of Monday Morning! to just this one psalm.  I have always had a special place in my heart for it. The verses above are the last two of the psalm. Let's look at them briefly.

"Search me...". Have you ever ask the LORD to do that in your own personal life? And not just a quick search but an in-depth search of your true heart.  Involving, indeed invoking and allowing the LORD (That is the LORD God Almighty, the creator and ruler of the universe; the creator of all things great and small, the all knowing, all powerful, all present one true God. Note: Now let that sink in a little.)  to perform an in-depth testing  of your anxious thoughts. All your anxious thoughts. Think about that. David obviously had some or else why invite the LORD to search. And to top off the end of the psalm in the last verse, David, asks the LORD to check him out for offenses. Let me tell you what I think that means.

David was willing for the LORD (Again, The LORD God Almighty.) to see if he had any outrage, any indignities, any aggression, any injustice, any misdeeds, any scandal, any sin, any trespass, any vice, any wickedness -- the list could go on and on. David was opening it all up for the LORD to examine. WOW! Could we or would we be even a little willing to be that candid with the The LORD God Almighty?

Now get this, and after the LORD takes a look see, after He examines David --- David ask Him to "lead me in the way everlasting."  How could David ask that after having the LORD see everything offensive about himself?  I think the key is: Prophetically, David, a man after God's own heart 

(I Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22) was able to see beyond the present to the day that his lineage would produce the Messiah. And, in so doing He saw the One and Only Son of God indeed the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). David got it! David understood it! He was willing to lay it all bare before the LORD unafraid and unashamed for he knew and was able to see The One who would lead him in the way everlasting.

Bottom Line: May we,  like David, be unafraid and unashamed to ask the LORD to search us, to know our heart, to test us, to know all our anxious thoughts, to take a look and see if there is any offensive way in us. And, may we come to know, realize and believe that He, the LORD God Almighty, has made a way through His Only Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, for us to be led in the way everlasting. Amen? Amen! -- MG