All in Daily Devotional
What bubbles up from within us during prayer? Do we ever begin to pray and then hear ourselves as if from some faraway place; speaking to God in a language of groans and utterances that we can’t translate into words, but feel perfectly conversant in within our hearts? Our spirit, and the Holy Spirit that resides within us are speaking to God in a dialect unknown to us but understood perfectly in Heaven.
Who will we come in contact with today? Is there some “Chance” happening that isn’t quite as random as it might seem, and that the Lord has orchestrated specifically for His purposes? There are many opportunities for intercession that occur in our daily lives that we think of as less than significant because we are unable to see and think as God does… do we pray for them anyway, or do we pass them by for something we consider more important? God knows the beginning from the end and thus there are no chance happenings when it comes to Him. Are we prepared to pray for good in the midst of the bad, and for the least before the greatest?
How deep is our faith in Jesus Christ? Have we believed all our lives that Jesus is the Son of God, and yet never been intimate with Him? Have we walked down to the altar weeping and confessing He is the Lord of our life, and then continued along with the reins of life held tight in our own hands? Maybe we spend a lot of time trying to make ourselves righteous by doing those things Jesus taught while doing them without ever having met our living Savior. In faith, true faith, we must release the reins and allow Him to make us righteous, and holy.
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? If so, let me tell you a couple of stories, and give you some supporting scripture, that might change this behavior and normalize your everyday conversations regarding God, Jesus, and our faith in general.
How often do we commit a sin, confess it, and ask for forgiveness only to find purification before retreating 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 our sin, but neglect to ask that He fight and claim victory for us?
Do we have a plan for our life? Have we set everything before ourselves 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 doing just those portions of His Word that we agree with? Do we believe that this is anything other than outright disobedience and a lie we tell ourselves? If so, then we need to re-evaluate our faith and interpretation of His Word. God may not be forcing us to obey Him or do His will, but that doesn’t diminish its importance in the least. He expects us to obey Him to the letter without quibbling or doing so halfway.
We have been purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ and are privileged to know Him personally. We have been baptized in water, and then again in the Holy Spirit as they were poured over and into us, having been born on the wings of grace and carried within the sweet breath of Christ Himself. Yet despite this, we find that the allure and temptation of sin can be too great for us to resist. How can this possibly be? How can we at one moment be declared the temple of the Holy Spirit and in the next find ourselves in a pit of raging lions… which are our sins.
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 Him for where you are right now because in your misery God is expanding the breadth of your faith. It is in such times that our faith isn’t tested... it is stretched as we reach desperately for His hand. Remember when the disciples of Jesus had just failed... when 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...
Are we someone who prides ourselves on common sense and morality? Do we believe it to be a substitute for faith in God? Throughout our lives we have most certainly heard people say, “that man is a good person and he does good things.” about someone who is of good character and is morally sound. But is being a good and moral person enough to satisfy God? Is it enough to earn us eternal life?
Do you think that Jesus gave His life for us out of sympathy or because He felt sorry for us and our plight? Do you think He saw our sin and set about relieving us of it purely out of empathy or mercy? No, beyond all else Jesus gave His life for us out of obedience to His Father’s will, and He agreed to pay this price without knowing exactly how much it would cost Him. Could we do this if asked by God?
Are we in search of the “things” of our lives; you know, the thrill of our life, the job of our life, the experience of our life, and if we are so fortunate, the love of our life? These are all examples of the “things” that we seek after every day. These are the “things” that we believe will make us happy, and let’s be honest with ourselves... we all do this to some degree, and once we think we have found them are we ever completely happy? Have we found the true and full joy of our lives in them? No, I’m afraid not… our only hope for true joy and life is in Jesus Christ.
The hardest question that any missionary faces isn’t “can I go out and do this?”, but rather “is Jesus able to do this?” 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 a disciple?
Do we identify ourselves as missionaries? Is that what we do as a vocation, or is it a part of our everyday routine as we go here and there in life, and mix with all those we come into contact with each day? Being a missionary is not just an amazing calling for the few 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, nor in what we are called to do. Whether we refer to ourselves as evangelists, missionaries, or simply Christians... spreading the gospel is what we are meant to do.
Have we found Jesus, and are we attempting to reach out and bring others to Him? Well, before we do, we should be certain that we really know who He is ourselves. If we think we have sought and found Him, I wonder if we really have, because scripture seems to say that we don’t find Him through searching... God draws, or calls, us to Him. Is this an enigma; a great mystery? Let’s read two passages and then I will reveal a truth to you...