Fill Me Up
Prayer 365 // The Economy of Heaven (Day 4)
More from this week:
Today's Scripture:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” - Matthew 5:6 NIV
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” - Ezekiel 36:25-27 NLT
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” - Ezekiel 36:25-27 NLT
Today's Devotional:
One of the things I see people focusing on in this season is their credit. One would define it as their buying power, another defines it as a record of how well you pay your bills. The state of your credit health can affect your ability to make large purchases such as a home or car and it can also affect your ability to a job or even car insurance. So it’s understandable that so many people are working on their credit as it is essential in the economy of the world.
In Matthew 5:6, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” The definition of righteous is to be in right standing with God. What’s want you to see is that righteousness is like the credit of Heaven’s Economy. It’s considered your buying power and it’s based on how well you pay your debt caused by sin. Here’s the problem: by ourselves, our credit is rather shabby. I’ve been racking up debt with God since I came out of the womb and it’s impossible for me to repay the cost of my sins. Therefore my righteousness or credit worthiness is like filthy rags. If you’re anything like me, you probably agree and would say the same about yourself.
Our natural response is to try to either try to repay the cost of our sins or we feel defeated and just give up on trying. The truth is, no matter how much we try, we could never meet the righteousness requirement of Heaven in our own might. No matter how much we try to do right, there will always be a moment of failure, a moment where we fall short.
But here’s the good news: God is not unaware of our sinful condition, He’s not blind to our poor credit. Not only is He aware, He did something about it. Two thousand years ago, God performed the greatest credit repair mankind has ever witnessed and that was through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ. It's through Jesus that God repaired the credit (righteousness) of the entire world through one act, leaving us with one requirement. We find this requirement in Romans 5:1-2 , It says “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ..." Faith in Jesus is the key to receiving righteousness. He is the ultimate payment for all of our sins and it's through Him that we have "access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”
Now we're back where we started, Jesus said “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). According to the world's terms, if someone is hungry or thirsty and desires to eat, someone has to pay for it. Either they will pay for it themselves or someone else will pay it for them (and that would be considered grace). I want you to understand that the righteous requirement of Heaven has been paid for you by grace - not by your own merit or ability, but by the gift of God through Jesus Christ. So therefore He has the authority to say "If you're hungry or thirsty (for righteousness), you don't have to pay for it! All you have to do is desire it and you shall be filled!"
Therefore, this day, we have the right and authority to cry out saying to our Lord Jesus Christ, "FILL ME UP! God, fill me up! I know that I've messed up, I know that it seems that I just cant get it right. But I'm so glad that if I hunger after it, if I thirst after it, you said in your word that you would fill me up!" We find God's response to our request in Ezekiel 36:25-27 - “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you." Not only will He give you a new heart, but He will fill you with His Spirit! "I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”
If you've been trying to do this all by yourself, you don't have to. You don't have to become perfected in your own might. The only thing you have to do is receive the gift of God by faith through Jesus Christ. He is the one that meets the righteous requirement of Heaven, clearing the debt of the world. You don't have to worry about not being credit worthy because the One who is worthy died on the cross for you. So you can say with confidence, "Fill me up."
I'm praying with you and for you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
In Matthew 5:6, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” The definition of righteous is to be in right standing with God. What’s want you to see is that righteousness is like the credit of Heaven’s Economy. It’s considered your buying power and it’s based on how well you pay your debt caused by sin. Here’s the problem: by ourselves, our credit is rather shabby. I’ve been racking up debt with God since I came out of the womb and it’s impossible for me to repay the cost of my sins. Therefore my righteousness or credit worthiness is like filthy rags. If you’re anything like me, you probably agree and would say the same about yourself.
Our natural response is to try to either try to repay the cost of our sins or we feel defeated and just give up on trying. The truth is, no matter how much we try, we could never meet the righteousness requirement of Heaven in our own might. No matter how much we try to do right, there will always be a moment of failure, a moment where we fall short.
But here’s the good news: God is not unaware of our sinful condition, He’s not blind to our poor credit. Not only is He aware, He did something about it. Two thousand years ago, God performed the greatest credit repair mankind has ever witnessed and that was through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ. It's through Jesus that God repaired the credit (righteousness) of the entire world through one act, leaving us with one requirement. We find this requirement in Romans 5:1-2 , It says “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ..." Faith in Jesus is the key to receiving righteousness. He is the ultimate payment for all of our sins and it's through Him that we have "access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”
Now we're back where we started, Jesus said “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). According to the world's terms, if someone is hungry or thirsty and desires to eat, someone has to pay for it. Either they will pay for it themselves or someone else will pay it for them (and that would be considered grace). I want you to understand that the righteous requirement of Heaven has been paid for you by grace - not by your own merit or ability, but by the gift of God through Jesus Christ. So therefore He has the authority to say "If you're hungry or thirsty (for righteousness), you don't have to pay for it! All you have to do is desire it and you shall be filled!"
Therefore, this day, we have the right and authority to cry out saying to our Lord Jesus Christ, "FILL ME UP! God, fill me up! I know that I've messed up, I know that it seems that I just cant get it right. But I'm so glad that if I hunger after it, if I thirst after it, you said in your word that you would fill me up!" We find God's response to our request in Ezekiel 36:25-27 - “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you." Not only will He give you a new heart, but He will fill you with His Spirit! "I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”
If you've been trying to do this all by yourself, you don't have to. You don't have to become perfected in your own might. The only thing you have to do is receive the gift of God by faith through Jesus Christ. He is the one that meets the righteous requirement of Heaven, clearing the debt of the world. You don't have to worry about not being credit worthy because the One who is worthy died on the cross for you. So you can say with confidence, "Fill me up."
I'm praying with you and for you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
Did you know that Thryve Church prays together 365 days a year? Join us Monday-Friday at 6:30am & Saturdays at 8am for "Prayer at the Altar" by dialing 339- 207-7471 and then join us Sundays at 11am for Worship Service! Learn More