Open Heavens October 15, 2008

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Mark 14-16

WAITERS ARE REWARDED

MEMORIZE: "Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us" (Psalms 123:2)

READ: Psalms 123:1-4

When the Lord called His disciples apart in Mark 6:30-31, it was so that they can wait on Him. Psalms 123:2 says, “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us”. A servant that cannot wait on his master cannot be relevant in the household of his master. To remain relevant in God’s household, you must cultivate the habit of waiting on the Lord in praise, worship and thanksgiving. Another reason for the call to separation is for the disciples to receive a fresh anointing. After Jesus performed special miracles, He withdrew to refill His anointing container (Acts 2:1-4). If you are running up and down, the anointing cannot increase. When the

Holy Spirit came on the one hundred and twenty in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, they were set apart from the ever busy crowd. They waited on the Lord for 40 days and the Spirit descended. Although God’s mercy can bring you some blessings, the most important blessings of your life will not come by mere wishes: but by waiting in God’s presence. When last did you wait on the Lord? Another thing we observe in the transfiguration story is that Jesus transfigured changed before Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:1-9). First, His face then His dress. His face shone as the sun. This gives us an idea of what our heavenly body would be like. 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 says our body shall experience a change from mortality to immortality. Our heavenly bodies will radiate God’s glory as if a very powerful light was releasing rays from within us. That was the type of experience Adam and Eve had until they sinned. All the animals saw them radiating God’s glory, hence they were subject to their leadership, just as they were to God’s.

But the day they sinned and the glory disappeared, they became ordinary, hence the animals held a meeting and revolted against man’s dominion. From that time, they decided to rule themselves. It is God’s glory you need to tame the wild animals of this world. Is your life full of God’s glory? According to Romans 3:23, the presence of sin in your life robs you of God’s glory. You cannot be full of sin and full of God’s glory at the same time. The glory did not end with Adam. Moses had that glory to the point that the Israelites could not look at him. Jesus fully reflected that glory. How full is your glory container? The glory is what puts you in charge. You can get that glory container refilled in
God’s presence. Never leave home without a refill!

ACTIONPOINT: There is a reward for you this season: wait on the Lord in fasting, praise and thanksgiving.