2000 —Part 7

We pray...That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth,and length, and depth, and height;  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge
…that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19

Receiving of His Fullness

IT IS EVIDENT. There is no way to receive of God’s fullness except through the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because it pleased His Father that it should be this way.

DAY 1
—There is none other way to know God as Heavenly Father but through the grace revealed in ChristJesus.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

• DEAR FATHER, I am settled in this. There is no other way of salvation but through Your only begotten Son. I opened my heart to Him. I continue today with an open heart toward Him so He can become my life, my strength, my purity, my defense, my fullness.

Salvation through Christ alone was the early Gospel message
—Ac 10:42,43;Ac 16:31; I Cor 3:11; I Tim 2:5

DAY 2
—When Christ Jesus came, He was the expression of God’s fullness in the earth.
Now, His body is that expression of Him.

Colossians 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.

Ephesians 1:22,23 And (He) hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.

• LORD, when I look at the condition of Your Church, it becomes difficult for me to know it is the expression of Your fullness. But when I turn my attention to You and worship You, I can begin to see Your grace and your love in the people around me. I can even see Your power working in them. So I turn my attention to You.

His works may be hid from the wise but revealed unto babes—Mt 11:25-30

DAY 3
—God ordained that in His only begotten Son we come into our completion.

Colossians 2:9,10 For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, Which is the Head of all principality and power...

I Corinthians 1:30 But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.

• FATHER, I will walk in this today. I receive it that I am complete in Your Son. He is my wisdom. He is my righteousness. He is my sanctification. In Him, and in Him alone, I have redemption. Grace me to walk in this before the principalities and powers that I face.

God is the Husbandman, Christ is the Vine, we are the Branches—Jn 15:1-5

DAY 4
—When we receive of His fullness, we receive from Him a never-ending stream of grace.

John 1:15-17 John bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This was He of Whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before me. And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

• FATHER, the grace of knowing You through Your Son is the most wonderful thing in my life. I stand in that grace. I find my consolation in it. It is the resource of my life. Teach me what it means to live out of its flow. Bring these I hold before You to know its power.

We stand in a grace that abounds.—II Cor 8:9; II Cor 9:8; I Pet 5:10

Ephesians 4:10-13 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things) And He gave some, Apostles; and some, Prophets; and some, Evangelists; and some, Pastors and Teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

• DEAR LORD, sometimes I have been very prone to criticize the ministries You have appointed. I have passed my judgment upon them and deemed some of them unfit. Forgive me for ever doing this. Today I hold before You these who minister Your Gospel. Bathe them with Your presence. Fill them with Your wisdom.

We are the Body of Christ and its members in particular—I Cor 12:12-27

DAY 6
—The grace of God in which we stand never ceases releasing His fullness toward us.

I Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Hebrews 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

• GOD OF ALL GRACE, I present myself before You today still very much in need of that grace You extend to us who are so weak. My feelings, my will, my mind, my conscience are all under stress. I have no recourse but to give all these areas over to You and to the healing power of Your grace.

God’s love to us and provision for us never ceases—Is 49:14-16

DAY 7
—His grace brings us to an abundant life.

Romans 5:17b . . .they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

• LORD, for years I let the thief rob me. He sought to destroy my life in You. I still suffer from what he did, and what I did in response to him. Show me where still he may have ground in me. Bring me to repentance and to wholeness in You so I can become, even now, useful in Your Kingdom.

In the end we will see a people reigning with Christ
—Rev 1:6; Rev 3:21; Rev 5:9,10; Rev 20:4; Rev 22:5

DAY 8
—The love of Christ, in its full extent, will bring us to all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:17-19 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.

• LOVING FATHER, there are some things I need to learn from You about love. Teach me to love unconditionally. Teach me to love when I am not loved in return. Teach me to love with an active love that gives whether it ever receives. Teach me to love redemptively.

Abounding love will be a keeping force in us for the end—Phil 1:9,10

DAY 9
—Continuing before Him, we find how He responds to the desires of our hearts.

Psalm 42:1,2 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

Psalm 63:1,2 O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary.

• DEAR LORD, my desire today is not toward things but toward You. There remains a longing in my spirit to know Your fullness. Although it is beyond my understanding, my spirit is demanding it. I have no hope of attaining this but by Your grace. So, I wait before You.

We discipline ourselves to wait—Ps 40:1-8

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IT NEED NOT BE so that we must know the darkness to receive His light, but we find that the darkness, the pain, the grief, the loss that comes in life often make way for His greater light to shine—and the greater joy, and greater wealth...

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II Kings 4:25,26 So she went (after her child died so suddenly) and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite: run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.

• FATHER, this is beyond me. How could that woman whose child died so suddenly say "It is well" when asked about him? But, I know she knew something even in that Old Covenant day. Oh, I long to know it now! I long for that abiding peace and knowledge of You that is not daunted by the dark things that come.

How is it that He will manifest Himself unto us and not unto the world?—Jn 14:22-27

DAY 11
—Even in the face of great trial, we can know Him and rejoice.

Habikuk 3:17,18 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

• FATHER, I am still having to learn to rejoice in You in the midst of trial. I am still learning that no darkness, no pain, no sorrow can hide Your face if I but trust You. Sometimes my confidence is weak. But I am learning to seek You in the face of trial. Draw me on.

Darkness can become a good time for hearing Him—Is 45:3; Ps 139:12,13; Mt l0:27a

DAY 12
—When we receive of His grace, we receive a never-ending source of life and strength.

John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.

• LOVING FATHER, today I turn from my own seeking to hold these dear ones who hurt before You. I feel for them and wish they were not going through the trial that is upon them. But the fact is, they are in deep trouble. I loose them to know You in their darkness. Draw them after You. Convict them with Your love. Oh, become known to them in their trouble!

We see how gentle are the dealings of the Lord with someone who is in trouble—John 4:4-26

DAY 13
—Even in the darkest trial it is possible to maintain a testimony of confidence.

Job 23:8-10 Behold, I go forward, but He is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive Him: on the left hand, where He doth work, but I cannot behold Him: He hideth Himself on the right hand, that I cannot see Him: but He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Hebrews 13:5b . . for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

• LOVING FATHER, You are teaching me to trust You even when I cannot see Your hand at work. Hold me in this! Strengthen me in my spirit to know Your ways even while I am going through this time when I cannot see You, feel Your presence, or hear Your voice.

In our afflictions we are learning more of His glory—Il Cor 4:16-18

DAY 14
—We are learning that a time of loss can become a time a greater gain in Him.

Philippians 3:7-9a But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him...

• LOVING LORD, there is nothing so excellent as knowing You and finding our place in You. Help us, while we are going through this loss, to find the greater value of Your Kingdom. Help us know our value in Your Kingdom. Help us become stable in knowing You and in trusting You in the darkness.

In our afflictions we are coming to know a joy that cannot be described with words—I Pet 1:6-8

DAY 15
—We are learning to cry unto Him when we feel ourselves sinking.

Psalm 143:7,8 Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not Thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear Thy loving kindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee.

• LORD, what this Psalmist prayed is my prayer today. Hear me for my spirit is weak and still has a tendency to fail me. But I trust You. I lift up my soul, with all its weakness, unto You. You are filling my weakness with Your strength. You are filling my sorrow with Your joy. You are filling my turmoil with Your peace. Please let this come through me and touch these around me.

We can learn to do God’s will and find His mercy while under assault from the enemy—Ps 143:1-12

DAY 16
—We are learning to place greater value upon the realities of His eternal Kingdom.

II Corinthians 5:1-3 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

• FATHER, my groaning is still evident. But I feel it is becoming more the groaning of birth pangs. I long to be clothed upon with my house which is from heaven. I long for this now, today. O bring me on to know You so fully. Let the affliction closing in upon me only press me in to knowing Your fullness.

We come to the place where there is no one and no thing that we desire beside Him—Ps 73:23-26

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COMING ASIDE from the world until its clamor and pull has lost its interruption upon our spirits will certainly aid us in knowing His fullness. Then, in some quiet moment, He will come and we will know Him. Whether we see Him in vision, feel Him in our heart, receive His presence by faith alone, or become slain in the spirit before Him, is of little matter. The importance is that we know Him, and that in our hearts we maintain our assurance before Him.

If we have learned to come aside with Him, then we need not be surprised that He will walk with us back into the clang and clamor of the world. We are learning to receive of His fullness in every avenue of life demanded of us.

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DAY 17
—He comes to us in our greatest storm to bring His greater peace.

Palms 93:3,4 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.

Mark 4:39 And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

• LORD, in this storm raging all around me and in my family, I listen for Your voice. We are ready for the calm only You can bring, but these others are not listening, so I continue listening, even in the turmoil. And oh! I hear You speaking. Speak on till the rage ceases. Speak in me. Speak through me. Use me.

Sometimes it is when we are at our wits end that He makes the storm to cease—Ps 107:26-31

DAY 18
—If we will wait before Him, He will come in our weakness and bring His strength.

Isiah 40:29-31 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

• LORD, simply put, teach us to wait on You. We have been hasty in our decisions and have gotten ourselves into deep trouble. We are bewildered and frustrated, but I am beginning to see this is a good thing. It is pressing us all into You. Please reveal Your grace upon us, release us from anger one toward the other, and heal us as a family, (as a company, as a fellowship).

It may be in our weakness that we all learn to wait on the Lord
—Isa 8:17; Ps 25:3-5; Ps 37:34; Ps 40:1

DAY 19
—Great sorrow makes way for greater joy.

John 16:21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

Psalm 30:5 For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

• LORD, my sorrow has been with me as a continuing pain. It has laid heavy upon my soul and brought me down in health. Today I release it unto You. I am ready for the joy that morning brings. Heal this deep part in me, and us, so we can all rejoice in Your love.

There is an admonition for the closing days that we keep ourselves in the love of God—Jude 17-23

DAY 20
—The God of hope will fill us with joy and peace in believing.

Romans 15:12,13 And again, Esaias (Isaiah) saith, There shall be a Root of Jesse, and He that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in Him shall the Gentiles (the nations) trust. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

• ROOT OF JESSE, SON OF DAVID, hold us in hope, even in the dark hours. Bring us—by this I mean my family and loved ones, my friends, my neighbors—to the place where our love will be so steadfast that nothing can put out its flame. Let this love turn to faith for one another, and joy, and peace. This is our hope.

Other Prophets also spoke of this same hope—Jer 14:8; Hos 2:15; Joel 3:16

DAY 21
—Our prayer continues for others that they may know His fullness.

Colossians 1:9-11 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.

• FATHER, I hold before You these that I love. Fill them with the knowledge of what You want. Help them walk worthy of Your Kingdom. Strengthen them with Your might. Release in them Your power. Help them become patient and long-suffering. Make their joy full.

We continue to learn to pray that our love will abound yet more and more—Phil 1:9-11

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