"For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (niv)
On Wednesday nights for the past 5 weeks we have been going through Max Lucado's book "3:16 The Numbers of Hope" and we have been looking at how our hearts and minds have been distorted from a worldly view of things and how God has given us a remedy for our "aldulterated" hearts, the giving of His one and only Son, Jesus.
One of this weeks devotions from the series is "Shall ... Perish". I want to share a little of that devotion with you today and let you know that we need to be a witness of Christ because there is a lost and dying world to be won for Christ. Max says this:
"The hero of heaven is God. Angels don't worship mansions or glittering avenues. Neither gates nor jewels prompt the hosts to sing...God does. His majesty stirs the pen of heaven's poets and the awe of her citizens. Inhabitants of heaven forever marvel at the sins God forgives, the promises He keeps, the plan He executes. He, at this very moment, issues invitations by the millions. He whispers through the kindness of a grandparent, shouts through the tempest of a tsunami. Through the funeral He cautions, "Life is fragile." Through a sickness He reminds, "Days are numbered." God may speak through nature or nurture, majesty or mishap. But through all and to all He invites, "Come, enjoy Me forever."
Revelation 22:17 says, "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life."
It's our job as Christians, to seek out those that are lost and tell them of this free gift, Jesus Christ! Will you be a witness today? Will you heed the call of discipleship? Life is fragile, let's show people how to live life with a life of abundance in Jesus! God bless you today.
Showing posts with label witness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label witness. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Wide-eyed or Squinty-eyed
"No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness." Luke 11: 33, 34
Eugene Peterson puts this scripture like this in the Message Bible, he says, "No one lights a lamp, and puts it in a drawer. It's put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they're going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank (uncomfortably damp) cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don't get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room."
Are you living wide-eyed in wonder and belief or are you living squinty-eyed in greed and distrust? I got up this morning and determined within myself to be all that I can be for the Lord and to put on the armor of God and to be a blessing to someone and to let the light of the Lord shine. I believe that we need to be wide-eyed in our walk with Jesus and to expect to have an experience with God every moment of the day. On the flip side of that, if I had awaken this morning and let the enemy distract me with the things of the world and fill my "eye" with darkness, there would be no way that my light would be able to "stand". I think some of us from time to time find ourselves in those dank cellars because we forget that we have a "strong stand" that will hold the light that is within us. That "strong stand" is Jesus!
Be blessed today and let your lamp shine today and to show the way for those that are living in darkness and don't allow the things of this world to shadow the light that is living in you! Firmly stand for Him!
Eugene Peterson puts this scripture like this in the Message Bible, he says, "No one lights a lamp, and puts it in a drawer. It's put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they're going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank (uncomfortably damp) cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don't get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room."
Are you living wide-eyed in wonder and belief or are you living squinty-eyed in greed and distrust? I got up this morning and determined within myself to be all that I can be for the Lord and to put on the armor of God and to be a blessing to someone and to let the light of the Lord shine. I believe that we need to be wide-eyed in our walk with Jesus and to expect to have an experience with God every moment of the day. On the flip side of that, if I had awaken this morning and let the enemy distract me with the things of the world and fill my "eye" with darkness, there would be no way that my light would be able to "stand". I think some of us from time to time find ourselves in those dank cellars because we forget that we have a "strong stand" that will hold the light that is within us. That "strong stand" is Jesus!
Be blessed today and let your lamp shine today and to show the way for those that are living in darkness and don't allow the things of this world to shadow the light that is living in you! Firmly stand for Him!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Why Bother?
Do you ever get up in the morning and ask the question, "Why bother?" Maybe you had a bad day and when you get home, still nothing goes right and you ask, "Why bother?" You seem to be doing the same old thing time after time and it seems like you're not getting ahead and you ask, "Why bother?" Things are piling up and it seems like there is no end to the circumstance you are faced with and you ask "Why bother?" Why bother when it seems that you are the only one trying to do things right and it seems that you are all alone in your efforts?
My mom will have a hay-day with this post because she is always trying to "read my mind" with what I am writing! I just felt impressed to write this way this morning!
"Why bother" seems to be a phrase that many people use and often ask themselves, and sometimes others, when the rough get going or just maybe because it's a real question! I'm reminded about a passage of scripture found in Matthew chapter 14 when there were gathered around Jesus a great many people just sitting and listening to the teachings of Jesus and the disciples came up to Jesus some time later and told him that the distance the people had to go back to their homes was great and that he should send them home, for it was getting late already and they would need to buy food for themselves as they went. Jesus replied to the disciples with this statement: "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." (Matt. 14:16) Can you imagine what was going through the minds of the disciples when Jesus told them to feed all those people themselves? They only had two fish and five loaves of bread. How did they expect to feed the people with what they were looking at? Why bother?
As you know the ending of this passage, Jesus prayed to the Father and the food was multiplied beyond need. I'm convicted to look at this verse again and apply it to my questions when I feel inadequate to do the things that God has called me do and to rely on His leading and not on my own understanding! I believe this scripture is only one of many that can help us answer the question, "Why bother?" - because "They do not need to go away. Give them something to eat." We are commissioned by God to give the lost "something to eat" and to live an example before them because if we "let them go away" they will receive a worldly example and starve. I hope this message is getting through today because I feel the need to tell someone to keep on giving, keep on ministering, keep on putting that effort out there - You give them something to eat! God has told me the same! Be blessed today!!
My mom will have a hay-day with this post because she is always trying to "read my mind" with what I am writing! I just felt impressed to write this way this morning!
"Why bother" seems to be a phrase that many people use and often ask themselves, and sometimes others, when the rough get going or just maybe because it's a real question! I'm reminded about a passage of scripture found in Matthew chapter 14 when there were gathered around Jesus a great many people just sitting and listening to the teachings of Jesus and the disciples came up to Jesus some time later and told him that the distance the people had to go back to their homes was great and that he should send them home, for it was getting late already and they would need to buy food for themselves as they went. Jesus replied to the disciples with this statement: "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." (Matt. 14:16) Can you imagine what was going through the minds of the disciples when Jesus told them to feed all those people themselves? They only had two fish and five loaves of bread. How did they expect to feed the people with what they were looking at? Why bother?
As you know the ending of this passage, Jesus prayed to the Father and the food was multiplied beyond need. I'm convicted to look at this verse again and apply it to my questions when I feel inadequate to do the things that God has called me do and to rely on His leading and not on my own understanding! I believe this scripture is only one of many that can help us answer the question, "Why bother?" - because "They do not need to go away. Give them something to eat." We are commissioned by God to give the lost "something to eat" and to live an example before them because if we "let them go away" they will receive a worldly example and starve. I hope this message is getting through today because I feel the need to tell someone to keep on giving, keep on ministering, keep on putting that effort out there - You give them something to eat! God has told me the same! Be blessed today!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)