Morning by Morning—Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays: Learning and Growing through All We Endure and Overcome

Friday, May 01, 2020

Learning and Growing through All We Endure and Overcome - Morning by Morning, May 1, 2020

Morning by Morning, May 1 - Learning and Growing through All We Endure and Overcome

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I'm looking to You, to walk in Your steps by the leading of Your Holy Spirit, secure in the embrace and love of my Father. ...

"In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered; and having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, having been designated by God a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 5:7-10).

Lord Jesus, it's hard for us to fully grasp "the days of (Your) flesh." You set aside the glory of heaven as the Son of God -- in the nature of God -- to humble Yourself in the likeness of human flesh and blood as the Son of Man -- in nature of man (Philippians 2:5-11). You were conceived by the Holy Spirit; and at the same time, You were also born from the womb of a human mother to walk this earth as a man for those thirty-three and a half years in the days of Your flesh when "the Word became flesh and lived among us" (Luke 1:35; John 1:14).

During those days of Your flesh, You "grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52). During those days of Your flesh, You were "One who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 5:15) -- "for (You) faced all the same testings we do, yet (You) did not sin" (Hebrews 5:15 NLT).

According to the Word of God, You "grew" in wisdom and You "learned" obedience. And the growing and learning happened through the times of testing and the suffering. As Your disciples, we are no different. "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40).

So, like it or not -- and mostly, honestly, the truth is we don't like it at all -- we also must learn obedience through suffering, that we may also grow in wisdom. That's all part of how we are to follow You as Your disciples. "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps" (1 Peter 2:21). That's all part of how we are to be like You in our world (1 John 4:17), on our daily journey -- morning by morning, day by day, step by step -- being conformed into the image of Christ, image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29). "Christ in (us), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).

Father, these are the days of our flesh. These are the days we to be growing and learning and becoming more like Jesus every day. We can't do any of that on our own. We can't even desire that on our own. In all humility, apart from all our pride, we must willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone. We desperately need Your Holy Spirit to give us the desire and the power to follow in the steps of Jesus -- learning obedience through whatever we're suffering and growing in wisdom through all You're teaching us. "For God is working in (us), giving (us) the desire and the power to do what pleases Him" (Philippians 2:13).

Teach me, Lord. You never waste a moment of our sufferings. Grow me up, Lord. You never miss an opportunity to make us more like Jesus. I pray this for myself and for all the body and the bride of Christ, the many sons and daughters being brought to glory, through all we endure and overcome, to become like Jesus in these days of our flesh (Hebrews 2:10). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend, may you endure and overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit, learning and growing through all you may be suffering and facing to become more like Jesus every day, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!