Not a devotional, print it out, it's Good News!
Jesus said:
Murmur not among your selves.
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets, And they shall be taught of God, every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father cometh to me.
John 6:43-45
I'm here to tell you that God has not turned His back on you.
Get thee behind me devil because if God takes care for the birds of the air who neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns and He feeds them, I ain't worried.
If His eye is on the sparrow I know that He watches over me.
Hearing about and learning of the Father and of Jesus is what draws a man to God.
Romans 10:17
Hearing about the goodness of God is what causes a man to repent.
Romans 2:4
THE COVENANT APPROACH
The LORD spoke to Israel in Deuteronomy 4:29-31 saying:
29 But if from thence (the time that you hear this) thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shall be obedient to (His voice);
31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;)
He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee,
nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he swore unto them.
That was their covenant.
What is our covenant?
FAITH IN JESUS.
Hebrews 8:7-13
For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place had been sought for the second.
For finding fault with them, He saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
(Why will all men know (come to approach Him diligently, to long to be intimate with) Him?
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Why does God forget the sins of the righteous?
Simply because they repent? No
Because Jesus paid the sin debt.
This is the gospel that men will have to hear in order to draw near to God, they will hear that God is not mad at them but that He has provided a way for them.
John 3:13-18
Jesus has invited all who are heavy laden to come to Him.
Because no one is going to approach anything where they are not welcome with an invite.
No man is able to approach God except it be through Christ Jesus.
God sent us an invitation in Jesus Christ.
Even when we obey and go where God sends us, He gave us instruction.
Jesus told His disciples, when you come into a house, salute it.
And if the house be worthy (welcomes you in peace) let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
And whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
God is calling you to Him through this Word, He's welcoming you back home, prodigal.
In that He saith, A new covenant, He hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
The nation of Israel didn't obey God after He delivered them from bondage and they spent 40 years in the wilderness as a result.
God doesn't want us to spend 40 years wandering around going from one gimmick to the next, this is why His Will is that we follow His voice and not the voice of a stranger.
God said, If my people who are called by my name would humble themselves and pray (approach God with our concerns), I will hear from heaven and heal their land.
Job took his concerns to God, The Father had not turned His back on Job.
Drawing near to God is approaching God in faith through the blood of Christ.
This is our covenant.
The Holy Spirit in us seals that covenant.
Mark 11:22 Jesus said, Have faith in God.
John 14:1 Jesus said:
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.
I ain't anxious because the Lord knows what I need.
You ain't gotta be anxious either, first seek the kingdom of God.Ephesians 2:8 says:
For by grace are you saved through faith...
Let's take a diligent look at this.
God hasn't turned His back on us so don't believe that He has.
Consider the lillie's of the field.
We all have to be sure that we don't turn our backs on Him.
Don't harden your heart towards the message.
Proverbs 29:1
What did Jesus do?
Matthew 9:20-22
20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind Him, and touched the hem of His garment:
21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch the hem of His garment, I shall be whole.
22 But Jesus turned Him about (turned around and faced her), and when He saw her, He said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
Did she have to go stand on her head?
What was her covenant approach here?
She said within herself, If I may but touch the hem of His garment, I shall be whole.
Where did she get the idea that getting to Jesus would be all that she needed to do?
She had heard about what He had been doing and what He would do for those who believe.
She heard of His power and of His mercy, that He had come to heal the broken hearted, to give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, to return sight to the blind, to set at liberty those that had been bruised and held captive.
But she didn't just draw near to Jesus with her mouth only, praising Him in the sanctuary on the sabbath, but with her whole heart she believed and was blessed.
Let's look at another testimony to God's covenant of mercy and love that shows that His eye and His heart is ever towards us.
Jesus was invited to dine at the home of a Pharisee in Luke chapter seven .
A woman, a known sinner heard that Jesus would be dining there so she went to this house and was evidently allowed in. She came with an Alabaster Box filled with ointment.
She stood behind the Lord and wept and she washed his feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair and anointed His feet with the ointment.
The Pharisees who were throwing this shin-dig had issues with her, thinking that she had no class. How dare she being not of their standard approach the LORD.
The Lord went on to tell them a parable In Luke 7:41-43 ( study it out.)
The Lord showed that the Pharisees believed that they didn't owe as much of a debt of gratitude to God as this woman who wasn't doing what they did.
She isn't worthy of the Lord's attention or blessing she isn't on the same level with us.
But Jesus would point out that she was setting an example for them to follow.
It never crossed their pride that the message she was sending with her ministry unto the LORD could be for them more than for the sinner's.
They had obviously laid out a lavish spread and probably had the best wine, bread, figs, olives, vegetables, lamb, pomegranates.
Were obviously very well trained and versed in how to entertain someone of the Lord's stature and wouldn't dare embarrass them selves by weeping at His feet.
In their minds only they could minister to the Lord.
The Lord turned to the woman, He didn't turn His back on her, and spoke to them saying:
Look at her, can you see this woman?
Jesus told them, I came into your home at your invite and you didn't offer me water for my feet: but she has washed my feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
You all didn't greet me with a kiss: but this woman since the time I came in has not stopped kissing my feet.
(The Word said that when you preacher, do this to the least of them you have done it unto Him)They didn't give the Lord the right hand of fellowship, they started talking about her problem.
They didn't know that woman, they didn't know what she did every day even with all of their eyes, they didn't know who she touched.
That from the time she understood who Jesus was and where to find Him, she hadn't stopped ministering to Him.
Father!
They hadn't humbled them selves. There is similar account in Luke 14.
Jesus said in John 12:32
And if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto Me.
This He said, signifying in what manner he would die.
Up on a cross.
Are we lifting the cross up?
What Jesus already did.
The Pharisees thought it fitting that Jesus should turn His back on her, but The Lord turned to her and then He told them to turn towards her and watch what He was about to do for her.
The Lord told the Pharisees, you have not anointed my head with oil: but this woman has began at the most unseemliest part of me and ministered to me.
Wherefore I say unto you all, her sins, which are many,
are forgiven: for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
And Jesus said to the woman, Thy sins are forgiven.
Your faith saved you girl; go in peace.
Psalm 73:28 The Psalmist said:
But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.
The disciples asked Jesus in John 6:28,29:
What shall we do that we might work the works of God?
Jesus answered them and said,
This is the work of God, that you believe on Him who He has sent.
When you draw near to God you are going to take whatever someone else is saying and give it to God and let Him filter it.
God has not turned His back on you, this is why He sent His Son Jesus.
Don't hide from the Lord run to Him!
I didn't say run to folks, I said run to the Lord.
What can separate us from the love of God?
Nothing but our unbelief that Jesus is LORD!Take that gift of faith and hearing and hearing that will develop us to the place where we not only draw near with our mouth but with our hearts, like Matthew 15:8,9; Isaiah 29;13-16 teaches.
Not being slow to hear or sluggish and dull to understand.
But taking the covenant approach in Hebrews 10:22
Drawing near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. (Word)
Let us hold fast to our profession of faith without wavering;
Why?
Because we are worried about what people think?
For no other reason but that GOD is faithful who promised.
How do we provoke unto love and good works?
Tell this story.
Jesus was walking down the road and two blind men followed Jesus crying out,
"You son of David, have mercy on us!"
Jesus came to the house where they were and the blind men approached (drew near) Him: and Jesus asked them, Do you believe that I am able to do this?
They said, YES LORD!
The Lord didn't turn His back on them.
Then He touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
According to what you expect and believe that Jesus will do for you.
Their eyes were opened and they received their sight (What they were believing for).
Jesus then instructed them not to tell anyone.
They didn't follow that order, they went out and told everybody, and then brought back a mute, demon possessed man so that Jesus could cast the demon out and give the man the ability to speak.
Growing the church.
Would any more have been brought back and healed if Jesus would have turned His back on the initial two who called out for Him?
What might have happened if the blind men would have turned to the anointing and didn't receive mercy and blessing?
What if they would have been made to believe they were unworthy and unwelcome?
All the Lord asked of those men was, Do you believe that I am able to do this?
Hebrews 11:6
Jesus wants to bless you!
Mark 11:22-26
OUR COVENANT APPROACH
IT IS OUR MOVE
FAITH
LOVE Y'ALL
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