Meditations

Neil Girrard
Words Discussed in This Article:
Death (to self) π Fullness (of Deity) π Forgiveness (of sins) π Obedience π Perseverence (in prayer) π Sufficient π Fight π Contrite π Self-discipline π Trusting (in God) π Consistency (in growth) π Grace π Obedience π Commitment π Endurance π Compassion π Security π Praise π Rejoice π Peace (of God) π Faith π Forgiveness π Perseverance π Contrite π Holy π Mercy (of Christ) π Trust π Delight π Love π Joy π Sincerity π Separation


Scriptures Referenced in This Article:
          (Follow the Scripture links if you want to study the Scriptures for yourself.)
Psa. 28:6-9 π Psa. 32:1-2 π Psa. 34:8-9 π Psa. 34:18 π Psa. 37:4-5 π Psa. 37:4-7 π Psa. 37:7 π Isa. 57:15 π Dan. 2:20 π Mt. 23:37-39 π Jn. 10:27-28 π Jn. 15:12-13 π 1 Cor. 13:1-3 π 1 Cor. 15:10 π 2 Cor. 8:8-9 π 2 Cor. 12:9 π Gal. 5:24 π Eph. 1:7 π Phlp. 4:4-5 π Phlp. 4:6-7 π Col. 2:9-10 π 1 Ths. 5:17 π 1 Tim. 6:12 π 2 Tim. 1:7 π Heb. 2:17-18 π Heb. 3:7-8 π Heb. 3:13 π Heb. 5:7 π Heb. 5:8 π Heb. 11:1-3 π Heb. 12:1-3 π Jas. 1:12 π 1 Pet. 1:15-16 π 2 Pet. 1:8-9

Death (to self):

denial of selfish and self-centered interests, a total disregarding, losing sight of, and forgetting of one's self and one's own interests and cleaving steadily and whole heartedly to Christ, conforming to His example in living and, if necessary, dying.

And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires. ( Gal. 5:24 Amp.; top)

One who is dead to self no longer has any need to gratify the passions, appetites, and desires of the old life. Their power over that life has been broken by the death by crucifixion - killed because of our union in and with Christ on the cross and brought into a totally new and different life because of our union in and with Christ in His resurrection. This leaves one who no longer needs to serve his self-centered interests free to serve the true and living God. Hallelujah!

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Fullness (of Deity):

the whole, sum total of all that God is; all of His attributes, characteristics, mannerisms, motivations, and desires.

For in [Christ] the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filed with the Godhead - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and reach full spiritual stature]. ( Col. 2:9-10 a Amp.; top)

One who is in Christ can experience all of the Godhead that he can handle because the Godhead lives within one who is "in Christ." And I am in Christ! Hallelujah!


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Forgiveness (of sins):

a pardon, an absolvement; a giving up of resentment against; a granting of relief from payment.

In [Christ] we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor. ( Eph. 1:7 Amp.; top)

In Christ there is forgiveness for all sins - failures, disobediences, and rebellions - in the measure of His grace. His grace is and will always be sufficient to absolve and pardon me of my guilt and shame. Praise His name!


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Obedience:

the act of submitting to and following through on a given set of specific instructions; foregoing your own personal choices and willfully responding with correct actions to the directives of the one in authority.

Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered. ( Heb. 5:8 Amp.; top)

At times the will of God conflicts with our self-will. At such times we must resolve to set our will to do His will and then rely on His strength and enablement to "suffer through" and overcome the circumstances and situations through which we, of our own choices, would rather not go.


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Perseverence (in prayer):

to persist in an undertaking in spite of the difficulties.

Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]. ( 1 Ths. 5:17 Amp.; top)

One must persist in prayer; one must consistently meet with God even during those times when communication seems to be a one-way thing. God is looking for a people who will serve and obey Him in the face of all adversity and hardship.


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Sufficient:

enough; adequate resource and appropriate strength, power or inherant characteristic capable of producing the desired result.

But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me! ( 2 Cor. 12:9 Amp.; top)

I must learn to submit to and walk in God's will to the extent that I am capable of discerning God's motive and purpose behind life's trials. Then I must trust that the grace that originally called me out of sin is capable of delivering me holy and blameless - through every temptation and situation - to the Bema seat of Christ. This is true recognition of the sufficiency of God's provision.


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Fight:

struggle; contend with full expenditure of total, intense, consistent effort in conflict and competition so as to be winner of first prize.

Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and [for which] you confessed the good confession [of faith] before many witnesses. ( 1 Tim. 6:12 Amp.; top)

We must use as much energy and effort at realizing the manifestations of God's grace as we would to win a life and eath confrontation with an enemy soldier. Never say "die" until you are literally and physically dead. No surrender and no mercy to the spiritual enemies of the cross of Christ.


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Contrite:

crushed with sorrow for sin; broken of self-centered attitudes, recognizing the detrimental effect that sin has upon God's heart.

The Lord is close to those who are of a broken heart and saves such as are crushed with sorrow for sin and are humbly and thoroughly penitent. ( Psa. 34:18 Amp.; top)

I need to see my sins as being more of an aggressive assault against God than as my personal defeat. I must see and feel God's pain for and anger and hatred against my sin. I must then wholeheartedly seek to leave behind all sinful ways.


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Self-discipline:

the procedure and the inner strength to determine and perform a set of given actions that one would not normally choose to do so as to reach toward a long-term goal.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. ( 2 Tim. 1:7 Amp.; top)

What a blessing it is to know that I can rely on God's Spirit to produce in me self-discipline. I do not need to strive and strain to produce it, though I do need to be diligent. I already have self-discipline as an ability implanted within my life and identity in Christ; all I need is to walk in it it. Hallelujah!


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Trusting (in God):

to place confidence in; to act in ways that display assurance of and reliance upon the proven character of another.

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass. Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him. ( Psa. 37:4-5 , 7 a Amp.; top)

A person who is truly trusting in God will be humble and moldable to the desires and will of God, will commit his cares and concerns for the needs of this life into God's jurisdiction and responsibility, and will patiently wait until God decides that the timing of His provision is appropriate in spite of all soulish desires and pressures to compromise and give into the temptation to worry and be anxious.


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Consistency (in growth):

a regularized pattern; a progressive but stablized increase or betterment of one's characteristic habit patterns.

For as these qualities [diligence, faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, patient endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and Christian love - see 2 Pet. 1:5-7] are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [spiritually] shortsighted, seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins. ( 2 Pet. 1:8-9 Amp.; top)

These steps to maturity may be experienced in stages or spurts in the beginning of one's walk with Jesus. But for one to truly become experienced, efficient and mature in love and righteousness, one must diligently cultivate consistent growth by maintaining consistent quality time in prayer, in the Word, in fellowship, and in being available to God so that He might exhibit His resurrection power in our lives. Lord, help me to be consistent in these areas!


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Grace:

the special provision of God that makes it possible for us to functionally and practically make use of His power and His gifts to us.

But by the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not [found to be] for nothing (fruitless and without effect). In fact, I worked harder than all of them [the apostles], though it was not really I, but the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God which was with me. ( 1 Cor. 15:10 Amp.; top)

I chose this verse on grace - there are many others and there is even a completely different definition of grace to consider also - because the grace that God has bestowed upon me is great. Through His grace I have an identity and calling which gives me joy and satisfaction. His grace propels me forward to study and understand and share and explain His word as I experience it. It is His grace that is seen in the manifested changes in my life from the time I wholeheartedly began to follow Jesus. Glory to His name!


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Obedience:

a responsive act of submissiveness that conforms to the instructions given.

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts... But instead warn (admonish, urge, and encourage) one another every day, as long as it is called Today, that none of you may be hardened [into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of sin [by the fraudulence, the stratagem, the trickery which the delusive glamor of his sin may play on him]. ( Heb. 3:7-8 a, 13 Amp.; top)

Even "small" sins are deceptive and adds to the process of hardening my heart to the wishes of the Holy Spirit. The sin that I most often need to avoid is inconsistency in my personal devotions. If I am consistently in God's presence seeking to know more of Him, many of my other sins will die by simple neglect. May God make it so!


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Commitment:

a purposing of the will to perform a given specific activity.

This is My commandment; that you love one another [just] as I have loved you. No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends. ( Jn. 15:12-13 Amp.; top)

I see the dying world and want to dive in and rescue as many as I can. I feel compassion for the lost but can determine no specific direction. Am I looking too far ahead and not focusing on the here and now? Possibly. At any rate, I declare my commitment here and now: I choose to set aside my life - that is, all the things that life here on earth offers - to obediently serve God in whatever He tells me to do. And for those things that will be exceedingly hard to do, I ask for special grace to be bestowed upon me. I trust You, Lord.


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Endurance:

an ability to withstand hardship or suffering with firmness and patience; to maintain one's position in the face of all opposition.

Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous oppostion and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds. ( Heb. 12:1-3 Amp.; top)

A sure cure for self-pity is a look at the cross of Christ. More than that though it is an encouragement to know that until my trials begin to match His in scope and personal consequence, I still have a long way to go. This allows me to settle into patient, long-term considerations of my progress in my walk with Him. I don't need to "achieve super-spiritual status" overnight. I won't be great in His kingdom until I can simultaneously suffer and love as He did. I don't need to be bogged down with false expectations - I can simply be diligent in all that I do. Hallelujah!


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Compassion:

sympathy and empathy with another that produces a desire to aid and relieve their discomforts; a selflessness to help the helpless.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, murdering the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How ofen would I have gathered your children together as a mother fowl gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused! Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate (abandoned and left destitute of God's help). For I declare to you, you will not see Me again until you say, Blessed (magnified in worship, adored, and exalted) is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! ( Mt. 23:37-39 Amp.; top)

As imitators of Christ, we must feel His compassion for the lost and misled people in our lives. We must reach them!


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Security:

a state of being whereby one is unable to be moved; impervious to attack from any source.

The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand. ( Jn. 10:27-28 Amp.; top)

My security lies in the awesome capability of Jesus Christ to keep me in His hand. Hallelujah!


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Praise:

ascribing worth or value to the object or recipient of praise; giving honor, esteem, and glory.

Blessed be the name of God forever and ever! For wisdom and might are His! ( Dan. 2:20 Amp.; top)

God is worthy of praise and due more honor and glory than we could ever ascribe to Him. The more we truly know God the more we will spontaneously praise Him. He is worthy!


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Rejoice:

to express joy and thanksgiving.

Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice! Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing spirit). The Lord is near [He is coming soon]. ( Phlp. 4:4-5 Amp.; top)

God is with us always; rejoice in His nearness and His love and His power. And if you can't feel Him close, rejoice because He will soon return to take us home with Him forever and ever. Hallelujah!


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Peace (of God):

a state of being at rest; a feeling of utter contentment with all things.

Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. ( Phlp. 4:6-7 Amp.; top)

Resting and rejoicing in obedience to Christ Jesus brings the peace of God - a peace which cannot be explained, only enjoyed!


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Faith:

a complete trust in the actuality and validity of something unseen or yet to come into literal existence; belief that causes and promotes resulting activity.

Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. For by [faith - trust and holy fervor born of faith] the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report. By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible. ( Heb. 11:1-3 Amp.; top)

It is our trust in God's keeping power that enables us to spiritually cling to Him. By faith He is my Rock and my Fortress. In Him will I trust!


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Forgiveness:

the pardon we are given by God to keep us from having to pay the consequences of sin, i.e., death, guilt, etc.

Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is he who has forgiveness of his transgression continually exercised upon him, whose sin is covered. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit. ( Psa. 32:1-2 Amp.; top)

What a blessing to be freed from the commands of sin and guilt; to be brought freely into a life of joy and fulfilment! To know that I am no longer God's enemy but His adopted and cherished son - wondrous miracle of God's love!


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Perseverance:

continuing on in the face of odds or opposition; persisting on in following a specific way or course of action.

Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive [the victor's] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him. ( Jas. 1:12 Amp.; top)

We must persevere to overcome life or life will overcome us. Christ has given us His victory over the world; we must take it as our own.


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Contrite:

being aware of one's place as a sinful, flawed man; a genuine attitude of sorrow for sins and repentance (turning away) from them; humility expressed in meekness and quiet sorrow.

For thus says the high and lofty One - He Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, but with him also who is of a thoroughly penitent and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the thoroughly penitent [bruised with sorrow for sin]. ( Isa. 57:15 Amp.; top)

To live with acute awareness of our lowly, impoverished station in life, and to truly strive by His power to be done with sin, is to invite the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, the Ancient of Days, Yahweh Elohim, to be always with you. Such sweet blessed paradoxical mystery. Hallelujah!


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Holy:

separate; to be set apart for a special use only; to be morally blameless and above reproach.

But as the One Who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all your conduct and manner of living. For it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy. ( 1 Pet. 1:15-16 Amp.; top)

Every bit of our lives is to be set apart for God; I must die to self totally to be alive unto God. But man is it worth it!


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Mercy (of Christ):

to forego delivering a deserved punishment.

So it is evident that it was essential that He be made like His brethren in every respect, in order that He might become a merciful (sympathetic) and faithful High Priest in the things related to God, to make atonement and propitiation for the people's sins. For because He Himself [in His humanity] has suffered in being tempted (tested and tried), He is able [immediately] to run to the cry of (assist, relieve) those who are being tempted and tested and tried [and who therefore are being exposed to suffering]. ( Heb. 2:17-18 Amp.; top)

Instead of receiving God's wrath, which is our just reward, through Christ we have forgiveness of sin and deliverance from temptation in time of need if we will but turn to Him. What a God we serve!


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Trust:

to believe and rely upon someone to do as promised or said; to depend upon someone for protection or security.

O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him. O fear the Lord, you His saints [revere and worship Him]! For there is no want to those who truly revere and worship Him with godly fear. ( Psa. 34:8-9 Amp.; top)

In the times of trouble and trial, I will trust in Him. I will rely on Him to rescue me. And He will because He has promised to never leave me or forsake me. Hallelujah!


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Delight:

to take joy in; to revel in; to make the object of your delight your top priority and master passion in life.

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass. And He will make your uprightness and right standing with God go forth as the light, and your justice and right as [the shining sun of] the noonday. Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him. ( Psa. 37:4-7 a Amp.; top)

He is worthy and ever so worthwhile to be my top priority and master passion in life. I will seek to be like Him, near Him, and with Him. Praise God that, through Christ, I may do so!


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Love:

that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, affection, and concern such as is inspired by God; a conscious choice of the mind and will; not based upon emotions or feelings.

If I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God's love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God's love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody). Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God's love in me), I gain nothing. ( 1 Cor. 13:1-3 Amp.; top)

I wish to be a channel through which God's love can flow; empty of self and full to overflowing of His love, mercy, grace and wisdom. As I wait on Him, He will bring this to pass!


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Joy:

a sense of deep-seated happiness, contentment, pleasure and satisfaction derived from pleasing and satisfying the Source of joy - the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever. ( Psa. 28:6-9; top )

The Lord has richly blessed me and I am close to His heart, warmed by His loving embrace. My heart overflows with love and adoration for Him. I rejoice greatly in my God for He is mighty in salvation!


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Sincerity:

pureness of motive; honesty and integrity of purpose without falsehood or deceit of any kind.

I give this not as an order [to dictate to you], but to prove, by [pointing out] the zeal of others, the sincerity of your [own] love also. For you are becoming progressively acquainted with and recognizing more strongly and clearly the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (His kindness, His gracious generosity, His undeserved favor and spiritual blessing), [in] that though He was [so very] rich, yet for your sakes He became [so very] poor, in order that by His poverty you might become enriched (abundantly supplied). ( 2 Cor. 8:8-9 Amp.; top)

We can look at the lives of others, not in a spirit of competitiveness, to compare the development of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives to determine whether we are truly sincere. Often I feel that my love for others is insincere because I do not totally devote myself to their needs. But I am still growing in acquaintance and recognition of God's grace in my life. I have as sincere a heart to serve God as my level of spiritual maturity allows. Therefore I will not wallow in self-condemnation but will rather expect God to make further use of me as I learn to further submit to His grace at work in me. As I further submit to Him, I will be enabled to selflessly devote myself to those around me as I move into the life God has planned for me. Praise God!


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Separation:

a severence of parts, a dissolving of union, dismemberment; removing one element of a single entity to a different location than the other element(s).

In the days of His flesh [Jesus] offered up definite, special petitions [for that which He not only wanted but needed] and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him Who was [always] able to save Him [out] from death, and He was heard because of His reverence toward God [His godly fear, His piety, in that He shrank from the horrors of separation from the bright presence of the Father]. ( Heb. 5:7 Amp.; top)

Jesus found His strength not in or of Himself, but by His knowledge that the Father was with Him and was watching over Him. I can have the same strength, even when I do not have the same depth of recognition of my deep needs before God, because the same Father is watching over me in the same way. Lord, give me eyes that see and a heart that loves Your light. Help me learn to shrink back in horror from being separated from Your light!


I'd love to hear comments and/or questions from you! Email me!

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