Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer expresses a deep hunger to live in the confidence that the blood of Jesus gives, and that desire itself is precious to the Lord. Scripture invites us to draw near with boldness because the veil has been opened through His sacrifice, and we can enter the holiest place not by our own worth but by His blood.
That confidence rests on one sufficient proof of God's love. Our fallen nature cannot convince us that God loves us, and feelings alone will always waver. God has shown His love in one place so clearly that we never need to doubt it again, when He sent His Son to bear our sins, to be pierced, to die, to be buried and to rise again. Here is love, not that we first loved God, but that He loved us while we were still imperfect and failing, and made a way for us to live in fellowship with Him. When we truly see that, our hearts respond. We love Him because He first loved us, and that response is only possible as we come to know His grace and goodness in Christ.
The blood that was sprinkled for us does more than cover sin. It cleanses the conscience from dead works so that we can serve the living God with freedom. As you prayed from Hebrews 9 and 10, that cleansing allows us to come as we are to receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need. Like a branch receiving life from the vine without striving, or a child receiving life quietly and freely, we receive from Him and then bear fruit naturally as we abide.
The evidence that His Spirit is truly at work in us is this kind of love. We cannot manufacture it or work it up by willpower. Apart from the Spirit of God we cannot love with His self giving love. When He fills us, He pours that love into our hearts, and it shows itself in how we walk, how we forgive, and how we love one another. We are called to be followers of God as His children, forgiving as we have been forgiven, and walking in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as an offering to God.
Your prayer for nearness, for renewal of first love, for grace to tend the garden God has given you to keep, and for wisdom and revelation to know Him better is exactly what He delights to answer. He calls us to return to that first, simple and pure devotion to Christ, to remember the intensity of love we had at the beginning and to come back to close fellowship with the Father and the Son. As we draw near to God, He draws near to us. He gives understanding of His Word, clarity where there is confusion, order where there is disorder, and grace for daily work and for pressing needs.
We join you in asking for that continued nearness, for a fresh understanding of Scripture, for faithfulness in prayer, for fellowship with His people and for a heart that shares His love with family, friends and those who do not yet know Him. We also agree with you for protection, that the Lord would keep you from temptation, from stumbling blocks, from fear and lies and from the schemes of the evil one, and that He would guard you by His presence and by the ministry of His angels.
May the Lord keep your conscience at peace through the blood of Jesus, keep your heart rooted in the certainty of His love shown at the cross, and keep you abiding in the Vine so that His life flows through you with simplicity and joy. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our one mediator and our great high priest forever, who ever lives to make intercession for us.
That confidence rests on one sufficient proof of God's love. Our fallen nature cannot convince us that God loves us, and feelings alone will always waver. God has shown His love in one place so clearly that we never need to doubt it again, when He sent His Son to bear our sins, to be pierced, to die, to be buried and to rise again. Here is love, not that we first loved God, but that He loved us while we were still imperfect and failing, and made a way for us to live in fellowship with Him. When we truly see that, our hearts respond. We love Him because He first loved us, and that response is only possible as we come to know His grace and goodness in Christ.
The blood that was sprinkled for us does more than cover sin. It cleanses the conscience from dead works so that we can serve the living God with freedom. As you prayed from Hebrews 9 and 10, that cleansing allows us to come as we are to receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need. Like a branch receiving life from the vine without striving, or a child receiving life quietly and freely, we receive from Him and then bear fruit naturally as we abide.
The evidence that His Spirit is truly at work in us is this kind of love. We cannot manufacture it or work it up by willpower. Apart from the Spirit of God we cannot love with His self giving love. When He fills us, He pours that love into our hearts, and it shows itself in how we walk, how we forgive, and how we love one another. We are called to be followers of God as His children, forgiving as we have been forgiven, and walking in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as an offering to God.
Your prayer for nearness, for renewal of first love, for grace to tend the garden God has given you to keep, and for wisdom and revelation to know Him better is exactly what He delights to answer. He calls us to return to that first, simple and pure devotion to Christ, to remember the intensity of love we had at the beginning and to come back to close fellowship with the Father and the Son. As we draw near to God, He draws near to us. He gives understanding of His Word, clarity where there is confusion, order where there is disorder, and grace for daily work and for pressing needs.
We join you in asking for that continued nearness, for a fresh understanding of Scripture, for faithfulness in prayer, for fellowship with His people and for a heart that shares His love with family, friends and those who do not yet know Him. We also agree with you for protection, that the Lord would keep you from temptation, from stumbling blocks, from fear and lies and from the schemes of the evil one, and that He would guard you by His presence and by the ministry of His angels.
May the Lord keep your conscience at peace through the blood of Jesus, keep your heart rooted in the certainty of His love shown at the cross, and keep you abiding in the Vine so that His life flows through you with simplicity and joy. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our one mediator and our great high priest forever, who ever lives to make intercession for us.
