All in Daily Devotional
When we talk with a friend about Jesus in a public place do we speak in hushed tones? When someone asks us about Jesus in a crowded room do we whisper in their ear, or just nod our head to affirm our belief? If so, let me tell a couple of true stories, and quote some scripture, that might change our behavior.
How often do we sin, then confess and ask for forgiveness only to find purity before falling back once again into that selfsame sin? How many battles must we fight with an adversary before they are at last declared defeated? Do we ask God to heal the wounds of sin, but neglect to ask that He fight them for us?
Do you have a plan for your life? Have you set everything before you and determined what pieces of the puzzle go where, and started the process of fitting them perfectly together? If so, there is probably a nice spot for God, another for Jesus, and oh yes, let’s not forget the Holy Spirit, but is that really how our life is formed, and our faith is shaped?
Do we go about rationalizing our own actions while claiming to be a servant of God and follower of Jesus? Do we use the good nature of God as an excuse for disobedience? If so, then we need to re-evaluate our faith. God may not be forcing us to do His will, but that doesn’t diminish it in the least.
We have been purchased with the very blood of Jesus, and have come to know Him. We have been baptized in water, and then again in the Holy Spirit as it was poured over, and into, us... borne on the sweet breath of Christ Himself. Yet still we can find the allure of sin to be too great. How can this possibly be?
Are You Facing trials in your life right now? Does it feel like God has abandoned you and let the world have its way with you? Well praise God for where you are right now because in your misery He is expanding the beam of our faith. It is in such times that our faith isn’t tested... it is stretched as we reach desperately for His hand. The disciples of Jesus had just failed... they had been unable to cast a devil out of a child. They were feeling sorry for themselves and with their faces drooping, they asked Jesus why they hadn’t succeeded, and He said it was because of their unbelief. They were about to be stretched.
Are you someone who prides yourself on common sense and morality? Do you believe it to be a substitute for faith in God? Throughout my life I have heard people say about someone, “they are a good person and do good things.”, but is that enough to please God? Is that enough to earn them eternal life?
Do you think that Jesus gave His life for us out of sympathy for our plight alone? Do you think He saw our sin and set about to relieve us of it because of empathy or simply out of mercy? No, Jesus gave His life out of obedience to the Father, and He agreed to pay a price without knowing how much it was. The life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus came out of absolute obedience to God. By saying this I am not inferring that He didn’t have compassion or love for us; I am simply saying His first and foremost motivation was to obey God, and to do His will. Jesus was here at the Father’s bidding. There is no place that this is more evident than in the Garden of Gethsemane
Are you in search of the “things” of your life; you know, the thrill of your life, the job of your life, the experience of your life, and if you are so fortunate, the love of your life? These are all examples of the “things” that we find ourselves seeking. These are the “things” that we believe will make us happy, and if we are honest with ourselves, we all long for these things to some degree, but are we ever truly happy when we think we’ve found them?
The hardest question that any missionary faces isn’t “can I go out and do this?”, but rather “is Jesus able to do this through me?” It all boils down to faith, and it begins with the faith of the missionaries themselves. Going out and reciting scripture can be done by anyone, but believing belongs to the disciple, and what is a missionary if not first a disciple?
Do we identify ourselves as being missionaries? Is that what we do as a vocation, or is it a part of our everyday life as we go to and from work, and mix with all those we come into contact with each day? Being a missionary is not just an amazing calling, but should be the goal of every Christian. Spreading the gospel to one, or one hundred thousand makes no difference in what we are asked to do, and to what we are called. Whether we refer to ourselves as an evangelist, a missionary, or just a Christian... spreading the gospel is what we are meant to do.
Have you found Jesus, and now you are attempting to reach out and bring others to Him? Well, are you certain you really know who He is? If you think you have sought and found Him, I wonder, because we don’t find Him through searching... God draws, or calls, us to Him. And, is there a great mystery in this?
Do you lay awake at night and plot the course you will take tomorrow? Do you make battle plans against the forces of darkness, or arrange your spiritual strategy for holiness? If so, then woe to you, because the seas we sail, and the battles we fight, are not ours. We are just sailors aboard the vessel of God, and soldiers in the army of the King. We sail for him and do battle in His war. When we triumph it is in Jesus Christ alone... follow His lead.
What is our mission? What has God asked us to do before all else? Is it to feed the bodies of hungry people, or to feed their souls? Is it to clothe the naked with soft wool, or to clothe them in the white robes of Salvation? Is it to quench the thirst of dehydrated mouths, or to give them living water to satisfy the spirit? Jesus sent His disciples into the world to deliver the gospel, and so He sends us today... His desire is that we deliver the message!
When God calls or speaks to us we more often than not hear the message, and then receive a confirmation. Sometimes we aren’t quick in listening or answering and God repeats himself, but when we finally say “Here am I” to Him, we still get confirmation. Does God sign the letters He sends you? Are you the signature on someone else’s note or invitation?