The Lasting Bond

Mt. Moriah Ministries

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The Lasting Bond

by Meredith Giles

November 3, 2024

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The Lasting Bond

I Thessalonians 1:1 TPT

From Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We send our greetings to you, the congregation of believers in Thessaloniki, which is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May God’s delightful grace and peace rest upon you.

It began when I was in my thirties, my first ministry trip to another nation. It was to the nation of India. Our ministry was to pastors and their wives. Even though I missed my family beyond words, I loved teaching, loving, and encouraging these pastors who had so little education and tools to work with. Over the years I have traveled to many nations and have had the great privilege to be on teams who in my book, will go down as heroes of the faith. I guess I would be classified as a young Timothy when I began. I had two very special mentors. I always felt like I was there to carry their bags, so to speak. I would often lead worship and enjoy their powerfully anointed teaching. There were many retreats in my home state as well as neighboring states where we would gather with women from many churches having two to three days to be before the Lord together to encourage, pray, laugh, and cry together. I always came home refreshed and ready to journey on with the duties of life. Eventually I was given teaching ministry slots, and then on to the evening gathering times. Our times together were times of great growth and processing in my life. Our times in prayer and discussion as a leadership team, have marked me for the rest of my life. I believe that must have been how Paul, Silas, and Timothy must have felt. When you study the different combinations of team members, you find that often it would be repeated choices to minister and travel with. Timothy was a younger man who was being mentored by Paul and the other older disciples. You tell as you focus on their greetings and other verses of writing about their experiences that they had a strong bond with each other. Think of the times when Jesus was with His disciples, how night after night they would sit around a campfire having, I believe deep discussions, asking Jesus deep questions and listening intently to what He would teach them. I know longer have my older mentors. Oh how I miss them and would love to be with them again. Working together in a close bond is a powerful experience. God anoints the team and causes each member to work in sync with each other, each with their own unique gifts and callings. Then there is the laughter with tears running down your face, and the quiet sharing at night telling the deep, personal things God was working in each of us. I’ll never forget. What a blessing those precious times were. I challenge you as you read this devotional to ask the Lord, “What team would you have for me to be a part of? Where would I grow and be effective for your Kingdom?” You are not an island. We need each other. It’s important to be a working part of the Body of Christ and also to help mentor younger Christians along on their journey as well.

What about you? Are you a team player or a lone ranger? Are you yielded clay on the potter’s wheel, yielded to Him to be made into a vessel that can be used by the Potter? Dear one, Abba always knows what He is doing, and He wants to use you mightily today. Have an anointed day in Him!

A Good Reputation

November 7, 2024

A Good Reputation Acts 5:13 AMPC The people (outside the church) held them in high regard and praised and made much of them. What is the reason that the church was held in such high regard and respect? I believe it was because they had a higher lifestyle. The church were Kingdom-level thinkers and lived according to Kingdom principles. Here’s the usual question—are we to compromise kingdom principles to honor and obey our civil authorities? Absolutely not! John the Baptist warned King Herod of his lawlessness when he was sleeping with his brother’s wife. John the Baptist was beheaded because he spoke the truth to Herod. Herod feared John as a prophet. Many times people approach officials with attitudes of superiority, criticism, and judgment. These are not attitudes of honor and respect but grating approaches to others we do not agree with. Shadrah, Meshach, and Abednego talked to the king with honor even though they spoke against His idolatry. Can we find it in our hearts to pray for those who are holding positions of leadership whether we agree with them or not? God can confront those who stand for wrong laws that are harmful and not of God. If they are not godly in their views God is able to remove them and replace them with godly men and women. Yet we want to have open communication and without anger and sarcasm, be able to share and speak our hearts with others who do not see eye to eye with us. If the church is not perceived by our leaders as those who walk in the love and compassion of Jesus Christ, and true honor for their place of authority, they will not listen to our words. We are to be as wise as serpents, as the Bible says, and as gentle as doves. This is wisdom from above. There may be times when God sends a spiritual leader to deliver a strong message to someone in authority even as the Lord sent prophets to the kings in the Old Testament. God can give us wisdom how to agree to disagree yet speak our hearts with respect and kindness. I Peter 2:17 says to “Fear God. Honor the king.” Peter said, “How can you say you fear God whom you do not see, when you cannot honor the leader, He has placed His authority upon that you do see?” If we truly fear God, we will trust the Lord that He is in total control over those who are in authority. I have heard it said that people get the leaders many times they deserve. Let’s pray daily for those in authority for God’s wisdom and righteousness. If they are evil, let’s believe the Lord to work to bring godly leaders over us. We honor God as we respect and pray for those He has allowed in position. What about you? What is your attitude about those who are in places of authority, both good and bad? Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom of how to pray for them and guide you in your conversation concerning them. May He guide you throughout your day. Have a blessed day in Him.

Joy Comes in the Morning

November 6, 2024

Joy Comes in the Morning Psalm 30:5b Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. As much as we don’t like weeping, we all have seasons that have caused us to weep. Weeping is the reality of living in a fallen, sorrowful, sinful world. As much as we all would like to escape it, there is sadness in on earth. Things are not all as they should be. We could name a whole long list of sins committed in this world that cause us to weep. Therefore, there will always be weeping. Friends and loved ones who have suffered loss over recent days. Tremendous hurt and trauma from broken, painful relationships. Mistreatment and abuse that cause such grief and pain and suffering. I’m sure you have even wondered as I have, when is this going to end? You may even be wondering that very thought today over your own life’s situations. When is it going to stop? God can give us a deep grace to help us trust Him that there is a day coming when our sorrow will be turned into joy by our heavenly Father. Our verse for today encourages us to trust in the Lord’s faithfulness. There are dear saints who I observe, and I am mystified and humbled at their unconditional love and care over a disabled child or mate who they carefully, gently, and lovingly care for, bringing them out to events, Bible studies, etc., lifting them in and out of their vehicle, to the detriment of their own health. You can only imagine the scheduling and rigid routine it takes to get their loved one ready as well as themselves to be able to participate with others. My heart goes out to them, both the sick and the caretaker. I’m sure there have been many times when the weeping felt like it would never end for them. Yet our verse tells us that joy comes in the morning. In other words, when the nights are long and the sorrow is unrelenting, and you wonder if it’s ever going to end, verse 5 speaks to us loud and clear, it is going to end. Sorrow and moaning will not have the last word. Disease and sickness will not have the victorious last word in your life. We know that because Jesus always is the One who has the last word, so life has the last word, salvation has the last word, which means hope has the last word. Psalm 30:11 the psalmist says, You’ve turned my mourning into dancing. You’ve loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness that my glory may sing Your praise and not be silent. Oh Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. Weeping may endure for the night, but remember this, joy comes in the morning. Whether you presently are in a dark, hard time right now, or that time is just around the corner, remember it is temporary. It’s temporary whether you’re walking through it right now, or you walk through it for a season to come, it will be temporary. Jesus tells us He has conquered sin and death and the grave. He has risen in victory over all of that and He will have the last word. If your loved one is not healed here on earth, they will have complete healing in our heavenly home. And for those miracles here on earth, the physical and inner healings still do happen. God is the Healer of it all and He knows exactly how and when to do it. Let’s keep coming to Him knowing that mourning will turn into dancing and joy does come in the morning. What about you? Are you discouraged over what seems to be a never-ending situation? Dear one, continue to find your place before Him, believing His Word that weeping will end, and joy will come in your morning. Blessings and renewed strength for your day.

Live by Every Word

November 5, 2024

Live By Every Word Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ This verse is a very strategic and powerful verse. This is admonition and strength given to us how to live each and every day. The word “Word,” rhema means that which is said or spoken, an utterance. Logos is the message; rhema is the communication of the message. In reference to the Bible, logos is the Bible in its entirety; rhema is a verse from the Bible. The meaning of rhema in distinction to logos is illustrated in Ephesians 6:17 which says “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” I almost had a panic attack the other night when I could not find my Bible and my journal which neither is very far out of my reach. I hunted all around my bedroom, looked down the the kitchen, dining room and living room, all to no avail. I was about to journey out to the car to check, when I decided to look one more time in my bedroom. To my chagrin, my husband had tossed the blankets over my books when he was getting into bed to read. A wave of relief flooded my soul! Whew! The Word of God is my lifeline. Abba speaks to me every time I pull away and spend time with Him. It is important to me to journal what He speaks so that I can go back and review it and know that as I meditate of His Word, He, by the power of His Holy Spirit will, by supernatural osmosis, work that all into my spirit and life. We can trust the Lord to speak through His Word, a specific word for right where you are at presently. There may be times when you pull aside to be with the Lord in His Word and it seems that there is nothing spoken to you. Be patient. I have had times when it seems that the Lord was not speaking anything, then the very next time I am reading the Word, suddenly, all that seemed to be saying nothing, all came together with a powerful Word from the Lord! Wow! Stay faithful to pull aside and hear Him speak. The Lord also speaks to our spirit through our thoughts, that still small voice of God, and you wonder was that my thinking that or was it the Voice of the Living God? Many times, we can push His Voice aside thinking “Oh, that was nothing. That was just my wishful thinking or my daydreaming thinking. Oh God, help us to be more discerning to your Voice from You Word and when You speak to our spirit, whether gently or with a roar. This is how we are to live, by every word that proceeds from our precious Abba Father. I don’t want to miss, not even one word, that He speaks to me, not one! Dear one, please draw close to the Lord as He has much, much, much to reveal and say to you! Don’t miss anything He has for you! What about you? Do you have a desire to hear His voice and live by every word that proceeds from His mouth? I pray you do. Take time daily and listen and live by every word He will speak to you. He loves you so! Blessings on your day.