Tag: Rev. Dr. Ken Crawford

For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
– Romans 8:16-18 NLT

The new way of God in the Spirit means not only that we are God’s children, but that we are also joint heirs with Jesus of all of heaven’s glory. Yes, while we are earthly children, there will be hardship — suffering, persecution, brokenness, and trials. But the Holy Spirit is God’s presence within us to remind us of our coming presence with him in glory! The current problems we face, the present burdens we bear, the ongoing suffering we endure are not worth comparing to this glory that will be revealed and shared with us!

LORD God, please pour out your Spirit with the power to help me persevere in the difficult times and keep alive my confidence in the glory you will share with me as your beloved child. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
–  Psalm 143:10

We want the Spirit to be at work in us to make us like Jesus. For this to happen, we must open our hearts to the will of God. There are no greater words God wants to hear than “teach me to do your will.” That is what it means for him to be God, to have control over our lives and our wills. This is a key part of loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. As we open ourselves to the Father in this way, the Holy Spirit puts us on God’s level ground!

Almighty God, I want you to truly be God in my life. I renounce any attempt on my part to try to manipulate or use your grace and kindness for my benefit. I submit my will to yours. But Holy Father, I confess that I struggle at times with my own selfish and evil desires that lead me astray. Please forgive me when my heart is cold and my ears are deaf to your will. Please, take control of my life today and may the Spirit lead me on your level ground. Through Jesus my Lord, and in his name, I ask you to assert your will as God in my life. Amen.

But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about.
– Romans 8:9 MESSAGE

God’s children have the Spirit of Christ living in them. But rather than having the Spirit just as a visiting guest, those who follow Jesus want to welcome the Holy Spirit to his home in their hearts. Rather than thinking about ourselves, we will focus our hearts and our attention on the will of God and the work of Jesus that the Spirit longs to empower us to accomplish in our lives.

Holy Spirit, welcome to your home in my heart. I pray that you will help me know the will of God in all things, that you will convict me when I sin or stray from the Father’s will, and that you will conform me to be like Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good — crucified. Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.
– Galatians 5:24-25 MESSAGE

God’s written word is invaluable to us as we mature in Christ and learn more and more of God’s will. As we mature, we will choose “the life of the Spirit” rather than just trying to follow God’s commands written on stone or printed on paper. We will have God’s will written on our hearts and showing in our lives by the transforming work of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). Today’s passage is Paul’s reminder that follows his description of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Since the Spirit is God’s gift to lead us in our dance of grace, then we must let him take the lead in this dance. We must long for the Spirit to transform our hearts and minds to reflect the righteous character and gracious compassion of our Father in heaven. We must seek the Spirit to order our steps in every area of our lives.

God and Father, Savior and Son of God, and Holy Spirit come and make your home in me. Work your will in every aspect of my life as I seek to honor you and live out your will in every aspect of my life. Amen.

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Our relationship with God is built on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus and our acceptance of that sacrifice through obedient faith. That faith trusts that God not only exists, but that he also personally cares about us and our desire to know him. He eagerly longs to bless those who seek him. What we find when we seek him, however, is that all other blessings pale in comparison to knowing, and being known by the eternal, immortal, and only true God!

Holy God, I do seek to know you better. Please make your presence known more powerfully in my life and in the life of your Church. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:31 (NIV)

Our world has a re-emerging fascination with the occult and the world of demons and witchcraft. It’s easy for us to react in one of two dangerous ways: to downplay the reality of these things or to dabble in them as matters of entertainment or amusement. God wants us to know that these fascinations are dangerous because the evil entities behind them are real and when we involve ourselves in them, they defile us. God alone is God and is to be worshiped without rival by his people.

Holy and magnificent God, thank you for breaking the power and hold of evil powers through Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Please deliver those whom I know and love that are entrapped in one way or another with a fascination with false gods and deceiving and destructive spirits. Empower your Church with your Spirit; please cleanse us and make us a holy people, undefiled and ready for your service. In the name of the Lord Jesus I pray. Amen.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12 (NIV)

When we lose our sense of urgency to live for God, we end up wasting our time! God has a plan for us, for our world, and for his church. Without God’s gift of “spiritual arithmetic” (numbering our days aright), we will never gain a heart of wisdom. So how do we get such a gift? Ask for it without doubting (James 1:5-7)! Trusting the Lord for wisdom has a huge effect on us and the way we conduct our lives. Rather than losing heart, God gives us a heart of wisdom!

Holy and Almighty God, King of the Ages, you alone live in complete wisdom, justice, and grace. Please help me to know what time it is in my life and the role you want me to play at this stage of my journey. I want my life to be lived glorifying you. In Jesus’ precious name I pray. Amen.

“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the LORD. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the LORD. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
– Jeremiah 31:33-34 NLT

Jeremiah is God’s voice, speaking about the promise of the LORD’s new covenant that he will make with his people. Of course, knowledge of God’s “instructions” started with the prophets and others who spoke for God in Biblical times and starts with the Bible and people who speak for God now. However, knowledge is not nearly enough. We need to be empowered and transformed by the Holy Spirit of the living God who will place God’s instructions on our hearts and make them a part of us. As important as the scriptures are, the Spirit who inspired them is also the one who is essential for us to understand and live the intent of scripture. The Holy Spirit will inform, transform, and conform God’s people to be like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). This promise of a new covenant also runs throughout the New Testament, but the work of the Spirit in this covenant is especially emphasized in John chapters 14-16 as Jesus promises the Comforter or Counselor or Advocate or Helper or Friend (depending on your translation). It is also emphasized powerfully in 2 Corinthians 3, which is probably a spiritual reflection about the fulfillment of God’s promise recorded by Jeremiah. Read 2 Corinthians 3 after reading today’s verses from Jeremiah. Rejoice that we have this promised time of grace and divine presence available to us in the Holy Spirit!

Almighty God, I rejoice in the sacrifice of Jesus and the work of your Holy Spirit to bring your promise of a new covenant alive in our day. I ask that the Spirit’s power, his force, his grace, be at work in me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

“Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.”
Nehemiah 9:5 (NIV)

What happens to that youthful exuberance and joy at worshiping the Lord? Scripture seems to show us that God doesn’t want us to lose it. Read through the Bible and highlight all the physical acts used to reverence and praise our awesome and eternal God. In a world which regularly uses God’s name in vain, isn’t it time we stood up and praised him in every aspect of our lives? Does your love of God stand out in the world around you?

Heavenly Father, I find it incomprehensible that an eternal and mighty God would choose to listen to my prayers. Yet I know you do hear them and respond to them. Thank you! Please be praised in my worship, whether I offer it in private with other Christians at church, in my daily personal worship, or in my public worship as I live as an example before my coworkers. You alone are God and worthy of all praise; please be praised in my life. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
— Matthew 6:25

Worries are many and they all seem to crowd in around bill time, don’t they. Jesus reminded us that life is more than food or clothes. The real question is whether we can live like life is more than food and clothing. We get deceived so easily, like Esau who sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. Let’s not sell out what is precious for the allure of what will most likely end in difficulty and entanglements or at the very least doesn’t have eternal value.

Generous Father, banish fear and selfishness from my heart. I know you have already provided the most incredible gift of all time. Please help me pursue you and your will and not the things that choke out your presence in my life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.