Tag: Jesus

“Whenever you allow anything or anyone to make you function outside of the character of Jesus Christ, it replaces Him as your god. What you serve is really the lord of your life. Partial service to Jesus is double-minded and not worthy of the kingdom life. You must take account of your life before I take account of it for you. Where are your treasures? If you harbor anger and hatred, a murderous heart governs your life. You have lost the heart of Jesus.

"If greed is your god, you will not share My spiritual or material wealth with others. You consume what I make available through you on yourself and rob from Me. You do not care enough for them to give away what is rightfully Mine to give to them, wanting to use you to do it. You have lost the heart of Jesus. If you are motivated by the lusts of this world, if others determine how you act, if your own needs dictate your daily activities, your man-made gods are your rewards. You have lost the heart of Jesus. I have made Jesus’ heart available to you. His heart cares only for My desires and for the needs of others. It is the way of the cross. It is life. Why would you choose any other life unless you really desire that life as your lord? That is not a wise choice!”

Joshua 24:15 NIV

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Prov. 28:14 AMP

Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is the man who reverently and worshipfully fears [the Lord] at all times [regardless of the circumstances], but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

Matthew 6:19-21 NIV 

19) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

20) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 25:23 NIV

"His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!’”

 

There is an old saying about a shepherd who is stationed as a watchman over his sheep: “The watchman has lost his perspective when he begins to enjoy killing wolves more than he enjoys protecting sheep.”

In this saying, the merciful watchman has positioned himself to protect those that cannot protect themselves. He is showing mercy. Even if he should have to kill a wolf, his heart position is one of mercy toward the sheep.

In contrast, the other kind of watchman is simply a murderer.  The true motives of his heart may be masked by the task that he is asked to perform - in this case, protecting sheep - but his joy is really fulfilled in the killing of wolves.

He is merciless, without any love, even for the sheep he is hired to protect. His job is only the covering for him to satisfy his murderous heart. Both watchmen look as if they are performing the same task, but the position of their respective heart motives separates them. There is no common ground for the two of them.

In the same way, we as Christians cannot say that we are following in the steps of Jesus simply because we are doing the “good” things that we think He might do. If our purpose for doing all that we do is not one of showing those who have not found the Lord who He really is; then, we have no common ground with Him.

In our religious activities, in all of our associations, in every act of kindness, if we don’t have the desire that the recipients of our actions see Jesus in us that they might be saved; then our heart is no better than the shepherd who enjoys killing wolves.  From a heavenly perspective, we really are like murderers. A person with a murderous heart cares little if anyone lives or dies, unless he somehow benefits from either prospect. We are merciless.  Jesus, in contrast, willingly gave His own life, so that everyone would have the possibility of truly living. His heart was, and still is, full of mercy.

As our Lord prepares us for His coming, He is showing all of us how little we truly represent Him, even though we call ourselves by His Name and pretend to care as He does. He will not truly be joined with anyone who does not have the same heart attitudes that He does in every area.

 Teach me to serve only You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Don’t ever deny My power to change you. Don’t limit My desire to make you like My Son. Don’t underestimate the working promises that have been given to you at the cross. You see yourself, your sin, and how far you have to go, and you wonder why I would even desire to be with you. I only see you through the blood that was shed for you. You see what you are not. I, however, see what I have promised to make you. You stay away from Me after you have sinned, thinking that I don’t want to be near you because of it. I long for you to be clean. It is in those times that My love flows to you more, knowing your hurt; and I pursue you with zeal to restore Our fellowship.

"Don’t you see? The work that has been done on the cross is spiritual. It is eternal. It is complete. You have been brought next to Me forever. It was all My idea. I knew who you were. I know who you are now. I know who you will be. I brought you to Me when you were filthy in your sin and gave you Myself as your inheritance. Do you think that I would leave you now because of what you have done or may do? Never! I love you. That is My promise, and it lasts forever.”

Hebrews 13:5b AMP

…for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

Rom. 2:4b AMP

Are you unmindful or actually ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repent (to change your mind and inner man to accept God’s will)?

 

Sometimes, when I feel that the Lord doesn’t want to be near me because I have failed Him for the millionth time, I remember the picture of Jesus carrying the little lamb on His shoulders. That lamb looks incredibly content.

Someone once told me that the lamb on the shoulders of the shepherd is probably the most rebellious of all the lambs. It is the one that’s always wandering in harm’s way. It is the one that probably couldn’t follow the others, continually going off on its own, oblivious of the pitfalls and peril that inevitably happen to the stumbling, slick-footed, weak creature.

In real life, I am told that the shepherd - knowing what’s best for the lamb - bruises, or even breaks the hind leg of that lamb so that it can no longer wander from the safety of the others. He then lifts the lamb to his shoulders and carries it until it is totally healed. During the time that the lamb is being carried, it becomes familiar with the shepherd as he feeds it, talks to it, and caresses it. The lamb, in its helplessness, can only receive the shepherd’s love. It is too broken to do anything else.

Once the lamb is healed enough to walk on its own, the shepherd sets it down next to him. The lamb - now familiar with the shepherd and his love - follows close, never wanting to leave his side.

No matter what it takes, Lord, create in me a longing to only want to be by Your side,

Jim Corbett

“The world is racing to my desired conclusion. Watch for milestones along the way. As each event falls in place, come to Me to determine your direction. Study My Word. You will need only My wisdom if you are to prosper during the changes in your world. Clean your house. Be ready to spiritually move in My presence. Discard those things that hinder you from following My smallest wish. Learn to walk hand in hand with Me. I will guide your every step.”

Ps. 19:8 AMP  

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes.

 Ps. 119:105 AMP  

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

If I were to be called anything in the Lord, it would be a watchman. I live with my eyes and nose peering over the top of spiritual walls, observing what is going on out there. All I can say is, “Boy, is stuff happening!” In the spiritual realm, there is tremendous movement. The Lord is posturing numerous events to take place very soon. He is fulfilling His Word right before our eyes in this generation. Everything in my spirit is goading me to prepare spiritually. Any physical preparation must be initiated in the spirit, at the feet of our Lord first, or it will be of no use.

We need to pray! We need to wait on God for everything as our moment-by-moment existence. We need to share the wonder of Jesus with everyone we can while there is still light to do so, for the darkness is here and continues to increase! We also need to rejoice as we remember the sovereignty of our God and know that He is the One Who is truly in charge of all things. May we align ourselves with Him and go forth in His anointing with peace and expectancy in our hearts!

Make Your lap my home, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“It is right that you honor Jesus. His work is the most pivotal work in all of history. Because you have embraced Him and made Him the Lord of your life, I choose to embrace who you are and always direct you to who you can be in Him. I take great delight in you. I choose to hover over your life to make sure that you prosper. I choose to invest in your life to make sure that you become like Jesus. I choose to walk with you so that you can know Me, know My plans, and know My heart. I have promised to become involved in your life for all eternity. You are now Mine and I will never leave you.”

Hebrews 13:5b AMP

…for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

1 Peter 2:9 NIV

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God…

 

God, our Father, is at all times showing us that intimate fellowship with Him is the position for which each of us has been created. We are made to function hand-in-hand with our Father in Heaven. The guidelines on how to function that way have been made available to us in His Word.  His constant urgings to be like Christ, to lay our lives down, to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to make God first in our lives are love messages to the bridal heart of Jesus. He also promises to do everything to initiate and accomplish those changes.

True intimacy is our privilege.  If we look to our own needs and place our Lord somewhere behind them, our precious, loving Father promises to bring His priorities back in order in our lives. He has committed to do so. We have committed to need Him to do it.

Thank You for all that You have done, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“What are you waiting for? What is your hopeful expectation? Whatever expectation is the priority of your heart will determine the actions of your days. You should be waiting for Jesus! He should be the hopeful expectation of your life. If pleasing Jesus were the reason you existed, your only priority would be to prepare for His return. Nothing would distract you from that event. Nothing would be more important to you.

"Those who walked on earth with Him thought that Jesus would return for them personally. It was the hope that drove them to do wondrous achievements to further My kingdom. It was the motivation behind their pursuit of Me, so that they could live His life in front of those around them. I have placed that hope in each generation for very specific reasons. The hope of His return will keep you in constant preparation. It will cause you to strive to be like Him. It will motivate you to become as a waiting bride. Press in, My faithful ones. The time is soon.”

1 Cor. 1:2-9 NIV 

2) To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

3) Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4) I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.

5) For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—

6) because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.

7) Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

8) He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9) God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Rev. 22:17-21 NIV 

17) The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

18) I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.

19) And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

20) He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

21) The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.”

 

One of the golden threads that weaves its way through every generation of believers is the hopeful expectation of the return of Jesus Christ and their subsequent removal from this earth and its cares. It is the driving force behind every thought, prayer, and move of the ones following hard after the things of God. Unfortunately, to the carnal believer, waiting and preparing for the return of Jesus is foolishness. It is the stumbling block that allows them to remain in their shallow representation of His life to the world, because they do not believe His return is near.

As you study the wonder of the Word of God, and the eternal genius behind concealing the specific time and place of His return, there is nothing to do but fall prostrate in thankfulness and praise to God. What better stimulus! There is no more powerful driving force to keep us heading in the proper, safe direction.

As wondrous as all that is, you and I have the privilege of looking back through the corridors of time and applying all of the keys to His coming that are found in the Word of God. If we study the Word with diligence, there is no question that the event of His return is very near. What other generations could only speculate, we see fulfilled with precise, surgical implementation, almost every day. What was the hope of other generations, I am convinced will be the fulfillment in ours.

Our preparation for the return of our Lord for us may seem foolish to the skeptics. The enemy’s attempts to convince us that the Lord’s return is far off could be used as a tool to discourage believers from becoming all that would please our Lord when He comes for those who are like Him in every way. That preparation, however, is the most important feature of our lives, simply because we know what our spirit, in line with the Holy Spirit, is saying. I believe that I am being told to look to the skies in hopeful expectation for my Master each and every day.

Maybe today, Lord,

Jim Corbett