Morning by Morning, June 15 - "Decently and in Order"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me hear Your voice and be led by Your Holy Spirit, here in the embrace of my Father this day. ...
"All things should be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40).
When Your Spirit leads, things are decent and things are in order. By the same measure, when it's not Your Spirit who is leading, things are indecent and things are out of order. Even a blind hog has that much discernment.
We're created to need order, to need structure, to need stability and security. And we're created with a need to turn to You as the only One who can set things right, in Your created order -- in our hearts and in our world.
Just as Your Spirit hovered over the waters of the darkness at the beginning of creation, You spoke and You brought order out of chaos, structure out of instability, security out of insecurity (Genesis 1:1-2). You spoke by Your Spirit and there was light out of darkness, as You set things right in our world (Genesis 1:3).
Come, Holy Spirit. How we need You in our hearts and in our world. How we need You to speak and set things right. How we need You to bring order and decency, stability and security in the way that only You can do. We need Your law and order, just as much as we need Your mercy and grace.
Yet Your order is not controlling and oppressive. Your structure does not restrain our full freedom of expression of our opinions or desires or demands for change. But Your order brings the guidance of Your ways and the bears the fruit of Your Spirit. And the fruit of Your Spirit is an expression of Your character which You're forming in us, as You hover over the waters of our souls and infuse us with the light of Your glory. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).
In fact, when Your Spirit comes to set things right, with all things done decently and in order, there is great freedom and great expression. The very verses of Your Word that speak of decency and order first speak of the full expression of the gifts of Your Spirit: "So, my friends, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid the speaking in tongues; but all things should be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:39-40).
Father, sanctify our tongues that we may speak with Your voice and the language of heaven into the chaos of our day. Open our spiritual ears to hear the voice of heaven in our hearts that we may speak and prophecy Your words of spirit and life into the chaos of our world.
As the sons and daughters of God in our world, as the disciples and followers of Jesus Christ in our generation and in our land, fill us with Your Spirit to walk in the full expression of the gifts of Your Spirit, that we may sow the seeds of Your Spirit and see Your bear the fruit of Your Spirit -- here in our hearts and here in our world.
Set things right, O Lord! Let all things be done "decently and in order" -- all in Your order and all in Your way. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may you be secure and stable, with all things set right in your heart, all by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit of God abiding in you and speaking words of spirit and life through you, as He bring His order into our world, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Listen and join me in today's Morning by Morning
Prayer Devotional Podcast
Pakistan Preaching - Our Next Monthly Evangelistic Outreach - Tuesday June 16th
Friends, please keep us in prayer tomorrow for our next monthly evangelistic outreach meeting through our Internet Ministry into Pakistan. Each month, I am preaching in different villages around Lahore, Pakistan in the Punjab Region through Skype in these outdoor evangelistic meetings. Led by our local team, Pastor Rizwan Fazal sets up a big screen in an outdoor meeting usually, along with our interpreter who interprets my my message of hope and healing live in Pakistan. Then we follow up with prayer and discipleship through our partnership of ministry with Pastor Fazal. We're excited to see what God will do!
"And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come!" (Matthew 24:14)
New Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:
Tommy & Rocio Hays
Messiah Ministries
17503 La Cantera Parkway
Suite 104407
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Friends, we've updated our new ministry website.
Take a look and tell us what you think!
Tommy & Rocio Hays | Messiah Ministries
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