Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food
is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some
of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to keep us
through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all of
that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to live
healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author
speaker Elle David Harris. Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. It
is Monday, March eleven, twenty twenty four. Hello, my name is
El David Harris. I am your host, and this is your Daily Portion
where we give you God's word every single day, and today is no exception.
We are continuing in our Lesson study series through the Book of Psalms,
and our caption for today is pray for the piece of Jerusalem. Pray for
the piece of Jerusalem. Imagine that is called the City of Peace. Yes,
we'll get into that in just a moment, but first I'd like to
say welcome to everyone joining us. I see you. Welcome to everyone joining
us, especially those joining for the very first time. I'm asking you to
please go over to your Daily Portion dot com. Please join our online community.
It's a new community because the other one was in a platform that was
sold and then poof gone. All of what we had done just vanished.
And so I'm thankful that we have another way to do it, and I'm
asking you to join the new community at your Daily portion dot com. We
are thankful or it's a way for us to build faith and fellowship. Let's
go ahead and pray and then we will get underway. Father in Heaven,
thank you for this day and the privilege we have to open your word.
Please give us your holy Spirit and teach us how to love you and to
serve you. Give us peace with you, peace among your people, peace
in Jerusalem as we await the coming of Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name,
I pray, Amen and amen. Again. Let me just say that the
people of God were really focused on peace in Jerusalem back in the day of
the Psalms right because it represented the true presence of God, it represented right
relationship with God. And as long as the cityous city of Peace, was
unpeaceful, then the people of God knew something was not right between them and
God. And so what we're looking forward to in twenty twenty four is the
coming of Jesus Christ. And after we have lived with God in heaven for
a thousand years, we will receive the New Earth as a blessing. The
Holy city New Jerusalem will come down from God out of heaven as a bride
adorned for her husband. It will become it will become the capital, if
you will, of the New Earth. And maybe we'll just have to see
it may be the capital of the universe for all I know, but we'll
just have to get there. But we know that the New Jerusalem will will
indeed be where God dwells. And so we give thanks for the opportunity to
take a peek and see what we can learn for our relationship with God.
From the Book of Psalms, the Book of Psalms, chapter one hundred and
twenty two, and we will read beginning at verse one, the Bible reads,
I think some of us have said this before. I was glad when
they said, unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.
Our feet shall stand within thy gates, Oh Jerusalem. Jerusalem is bilded
as a city that is compact together, whether the tribes go up the tribes
of the Lord unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name
of the Lord. And so when we are gathered together as God's people,
do we give thanks or do we just complain? It's a question. I'm
not suggesting anything. I'm asking when we are together, do we invest the
time to give praise to God and thank him for what he has done and
for who he is? Do we give praise and thanks when we are in
his presence? Do we become a testimony? For those who see us from
the outside, And they wonder, well, who are these people? What
is their connection with God? If there is a God from the people's perspective,
And then they say, well, if if there is a God and
these people represent him, then I want to be among the people of God.
You see, all right? And so the word testimony in the sense
of an institution ordained by God. So when God talks about a testimony in
this context, or the Psalmist says this, it is that people need to
see us as a representation, a representative of God ordain, like to have
the stamp of God on us, almost like the prodigal son who received the
signet ring representing his father. After he the child, the boy had gone
astray, and he comes home, he repents, he gives his heart back
to his father, and of course by extension to God. And then the
Bible says that the father put on him the signet that represents the family.
That means that you truly are a representative of this family. So to give
thanks to the name of God is what our purpose is. Okay, let
me continue. Let me continue here. The Bible reads. Let me start
with pray for the peace verse six of Jerusalem. They shall prosper that love
thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For
my brethren and companion's sake. I now say, peace be within thee.
Because of the House of the Lord, our God, I will seek thy
good. This is such a blessing for thy brethren. Let's talk about that.
From the commentary, it was too obvious advantage of Israel that there should
be peace in Jerusalem. Lay down Verses eight and nine. Laid down two
great principles that should actuate every believer. Love for our brethren, our brothers
and sisters, Love for the people of God. Those who love God,
will love the people of God that compose the family of God. I know
that sounds like obvious, like why are you pausing? Well, because there
are times that people don't love each other. Remember Jesus said, he said,
there's a commandment, a new commandment that I give unto you, and
it's to love love one another. And then there is another one that says,
by this, people will know that you are my disciples if you have
love one toward another. It seems like a foregone conclusion, but sometimes in
it's missing. Sometimes we gossip God forbid, but sometimes we are not looking
out for the best interest of one another. Sometimes we allow people to disrespect
our brothers and sisters by sharing their personal business which is not there, and
while they're doing it for the purpose of building them up, but rather to
tear them down. And so when God says that it's a privilege for us
to love one another, that we will demonstrate in that love that we are
your God's children, then now it becomes clear. And so here are a
few things that we should incorporate into our understanding. Okay, as we are
coming to a swift clothes Number one embraced pilgrimage as a metaphor. Pilgrimage as
a metaphor. Verses one through five of Psalm chapter one hundred and twenty two
says, again, I rejoice with those who said to me, let us
go to the house of the Lord. So consider your spiritual life as a
journey with other believers, so that we can encourage one another. So embrace
the pilgrimage that we have now based on what we saw back then in those
passages, and say, you know what, we're on this journey together.
We are nearing home. Remember that vibe that him we are nearing home,
And so we do this together. Also we celebrate spiritual gatherings, are rejoiced
with those who said to me. So this suggests the importance of cherishing spiritual
gatherings to strengthen community bonds. Also justice and fairness among our communities. Yes,
we can resolve our disputes internally. We can go like Matthew eighteen says,
if we have a challenge with one of our brothers and sisters, just
between us and that person, and if those individuals that are having difficulty receive
one another, then we have won our brothers, we have won our sister.
And then of course Matthew eighteen gives us a fulsome journey or a pathway
if it doesn't work out quite in the way that we intended. But the
point is we look for justice and fairness and peace and unity among us in
our faith community at all costs. And then number four promote peace and unity.
That's the same concept, peace and unity. And then encourage living in
peace with God, living in peace with God, like do you keep your
do you keep your experience with God, your record with God up to date.
Agreement with God is confession peace. Thanks for joining us listening. Friends.
Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that
comes from the mouth of God. This has been your daily portion with el
David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,