All in Daily Devotion
What shape is your home in? I am not talking about the condition of the physical house you live in, but rather the spiritual roof you and your family live under. Are you providing a sound structure of faith that will shelter and protect you and your family for generations to come? As parents we must first look after our own faith and salvation, but then we must provide an example and instruction for our children. What shape is your spiritual house in today?
Do you think God has abandoned you when you are in a season of suffering in your life? Do you look to Him and cry out in anger at your pain? Does doubt come from your strife, or, even the mere endurance of hardship... or do you trust in Him all the more? There is a mystery in suffering; we wonder why God uses adversity and pain to teach us some of faith’s most valuable lessons.
How do you view those who don’t know God and who have no relationship with Jesus Christ? Do you walk past them and look for a tender spot in the heart of others, or do you begin to pray for their salvation? When a fellow believer falls on hard times, do you say a quick prayer and then go about your life, or do you sincerely pray for their relief every day? We say we want to be like Jesus and yet so many of us don’t follow Him in one of His most basic characteristics... we don’t intercede in prayer for others. Jesus is the Great Intercessor.
What nourishes your faith? What does you Spirit consume for strength? When we go to the Lord’s table we are feeding our souls His flesh and blood, and this sustenance bring us life, eternal life. To consume the body of Christ is to bring Him inside us... to allow Him to dwell within us. Communion, it is the life giving force of the Christian experience.
How do you begin your day? When the alarm clock sounds, or you just wake up of your own volition, what are the things of your morning routine? Mornings are a special time. The world is fresh, and indeed so are we; so how do you greet the new day? Do you wash your face, Shower, dress, get a cup of coffee, or make breakfast? Where in your routine have you relegated prayer? Where is your time of devotion? When do you greet God? Is it first, last... at all?
Do you let your pride get in the way of your faith? Do you take pleasure in the praise of others when the glory is truly God’s, or perhaps value the praise of men over that of God Himself? The simplest lack of humility is a sure ingredient in a major lack of faith. Pride places self over God.
Do you stand at the foot of the hill and listen to Jesus teach? Do you watch Him enter Jerusalem and celebrate the fact that you know Him? Are you in the upper room and marvel at His foot washing and the words surrounding the bread and the wine? Well all of these things are amazing and wonderful but in each case you are a bystander, yet when you are filled with the Holy Spirit then suddenly the life of Jesus moves from before your eyes to a place deep within you. You cease being a watcher, a marginally practicing Christian, and become one with Christ.
Can we perform miracles today? I can’t tell you how many times I have heard that question asked, but by merely posing the question we are pointing to the reason why so many ask it in the first place... faith, or the lack thereof. Have you reconciled yourself to the fact that miracles were a thing of the past, or do you grasp hold of this gift and see them performed today?
Do you understand how precious you are to God? As you go about the process of worshipping Him, and building your faith in Him, do you realize that He is working to bring you to Himself with even greater vigor? We readily accept that Jesus is the Son of God, but can we actually admit to ourselves that God could love the fallen men and women we are? Can we accept that the blood of Christ was freely offered, and has completely cleansed us? Can we receive the gift of grace without question?
Are you searching for a secret to successful prayer? Do you think that there must be some hidden formula that would allow you to pray powerfully? Well, I think Jesus dispelled secrecy and hidden truths when He taught His disciples to pray the Lord’s Prayer, but if you want additional instruction look to Mark 11 and you will find two prayer hacks that will increase your understanding of praying.
You are a professed Christian, and yet you are still nervous about entering into the presence of God? Do all of the sins in your life come flooding back, and beads of sweat pop out on your forehead at just the thought of meeting with the God of the Universe? This was the kind of concern the Jews who served in the temple had, and so much so that those who were tasked to go into the Holy of Holies would have a rope tied around them... in case they were struck dead and their body had to be recovered. Yet we are not to fear because we are cleansed in the blood of Christ; the perfect sacrifice... the lamb of God. So why are you nervous?
Do you carry your prayers into the day with you? Does the encounter you have with Jesus during your time of morning devotion and prayer follow you into the worldly environment that awaits you outside your prayer closet? The hardest thing for a Christian to do each morning is to get up from his knees and walk into the chaos of the world outside his door. Yet, he carries with him on his face, in his actions, and within his heart the glow of Christ.
Are you a humble person before God? Do you relinquish your will to Him in every aspect? For some of us humility is a bitter pill to swallow; we are filled to the brim with pride and see no reason to kneel. Yet scripture is adamant regarding this point... we are to be humble, and as a matter of fact we are told to be humble before God, and men, alike.
Are your eyes fixed on the things of heaven, or do you still chase after those of this world? Do you long for kingdom treasure, or the gold, silver, and riches of an earthly existence? It is so tempting for us to set our priorities incorrectly. If we see ourselves as a physical being that contains an imbedded spirit, rather than a spirit wrapped in an earthly body then we are lost. How do you envision yourself, and how do you live your life?