Double Portion

For there will be peace for the seed: The vine will give forth its fruit, and the land will give forth its produce, and the heavens will give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. Zechariah 8:12     Turn to the stronghold, O prisoners with hope. This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you. Zechariah 9:12   

At the fag end of the year, reviewing back what the Lord has done, the most precious thing I treasure of all is the experience and enjoyment of Christ. It has dawned on me that the only thing, yes the one and only thing worth mentioning, worth treasuring, is the gaining of Christ. In fact, there are many other physical and psychological blessings too, but supreme of all is the gaining of God in Christ as the Spirit for the growth in life for the building up of the Body of Christ. This is the real counting of blessings, really worth counting one by one.

Though there were failures, shortcomings, weaknesses, worldliness and sins now and then, though many of what I hoped and longed for has not really been fulfilled, personally and corporately as a church, and many of our prayers still seemed to be not yet answered, still the Lord is faithful and He knows best. In spite of all these unfulfilled hopes, the Lord's word is still trustworthy. 

In my time with the Lord these days, the leading and speaking of the Lord is very specific. Be it prayer or task to accomplish, His leading is very clear. My time with the Lord has a new turn henceforth. No longer beating aimlessly in the air, but point by point, the burden for the coming year has been released. Personally what to accomplish, officially what tasks to carry out, and as a church the leading of the Lord is on the practice of the God-ordained way. Even in our church prayer meeting last night the move of the Spirit in prayer was very specific, point by point releasing of burden with definite goal in 2016. Besides, all our family prayer and my own personal prayer are all very specific and to the point. As the year changes, a new beginning is a blessed visitation indeed.

The faithful promise of the Lord is a "double portion."  "The vine will give forth its fruit, and the land will give forth its produce, and the heavens will give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things." And I will restore double to you.

Lord, thank Your for all Your blessings, and for Your promise of double portion blessing.