Daily Devotional by Pastor Jon Courson - November 13 Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes. Deuteronomy 3:27 Forty days after shedding His blood for you and me on Mount Calvary, Jesus stood on the Mount of Olives before ascending to Heaven triumphantly. And since whatever goes up must come down, guess who is coming back to the Mount of Olives? The Bible says that when He does, He will walk through the Kidron Valley, through the Eastern Gate, and into Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace to rule over all the kingdoms of the world for one thousand years. In other words, by opting to go to Mount Moriah, by doing what was best for the greatest number, Jesus is not only rewarded in Heaven and exalted eternally, but He gets the very thing Satan was offering previously (Matthew 4:8–9). It’s a win-win situation. It all works out perfectly. When we choose to take up the cross and say, “It’s not about what’s easiest for me. It’s about what’s best for the most people I can possibly reach and help,” we’ll get whatever Satan may have tried to seduce us with because Jesus said that if we seek first the Kingdom, everything we need would be thrown in (Matthew 6:33). One day, I spent some time with a bunch of pastors going through the book of Ezra and dealing with some pastoral issues. When I was done, I had a couple of meetings and then did a radio show. On my way home, I felt really fatigued and weary of soul. Yet the Lord, I believe, gave me a very simple vision, a simple stirring, a simple directive to go and see our brother, Jeff, who, at thirty-five years of age, was dying of brain cancer. But after getting lost twice trying to find his house and having been up since before four in the morning, and knowing my kids weren’t home that night and that Tammy had a nice dinner planned, I thought, I’m tired. I’ll go home and pick it up tomorrow. Yet, even as I made my way home, I knew that it wasn’t right. I knew it wasn’t the way of the Cross for me at that moment in time. So I made a U-turn, and by God’s grace, I found the house. Jeff’s three sons were there with a few pastors, worshiping the Lord, praying, and sharing. I talked to him and read the Scriptures because I believe that even though the mind may not be working, the spirit still perceives and receives prayer, praise, and the Word. So we were sharing together, talking to him about Heaven, even though he was unable to comprehend mentally. Then, after an hour or so, something happened I’ll never forget. As I sat by his bed, suddenly Jeff looked at me. His eyes were crystal clear, his focus laser sharp. He grabbed my hand and held it for forty-five seconds as our eyes met. And I found myself weeping as he gripped my hand with the strongest grip I’ve felt in a long time. Then he let go and returned to his previous state. He went to Heaven the next day. “I’m going to go and do this,” I had said. “It’s the way of the Cross.” What I didn’t know was Mount Calvary turned into the Mount of Olives. I was caught up into Heavenly places. That’s the way it always is. I was the one who was blessed. Jeff ministered to me in that forty-five-second window of opportunity. I can’t explain it, but I went home with tears in my eyes because I was so deeply touched. And to think I might have missed it because I almost opted for what was more comfortable for me. I almost missed the supernatural blessing God had flow through Jeff into my heart at that moment. Discouraged today? You need a fresh vision. How do you get that? Go to the mountain. I need to go to the mountain constantly and say, “Father, give me Your vision because it will ultimately mean resurrection and ecstasy not only for others, but also for me.” This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book A Pillar By Day by Pastor Jon. A Pillar By Day is a collection of 365 short devotions from the Old Testament books of Genesis through Deuteronomy.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 18:09:15 +0000
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