“I
am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation
of everyone who believes.” – Romans 1:16
Have you ever noticed that
people can sit under the preaching of God’s Word week after week, and walk out
of the building as lost as they were when they entered it? They agree with what
the preacher proclaims, but they do not accept Christ’s sacrifice for
themselves. Other people will pray a prayer of salvation and accept Christ’s
sacrifice, but they never make the commitment to give their life as a sacrifice
for Christ. They still sit on the throne of their life, doing whatever feels
good at the moment, regardless of how their behavior is grieving the Lord.
God revealed Himself to us
in the person of Jesus Christ, but most of us refuse to surrender our life
totally to Him. We will give Him one hour a week, maybe two or three; but that
is our limit. The rest of our time is spent in worldly pleasures that have no
eternal significance whatsoever. Our life may be the only Bible another person
will ever read (1 Timothy 4:15-16).
What message are we portraying to a lost and dying world? Do we care about the
souls lining up to spend eternity in hell because our lives are such a poor
witness to them?
God wrote the message of His
eternal power and divine character into nature, so that it will be clearly seen
and understood by anyone who cares to pay attention (Romans
1:20). But Jesus said that if we fail to
tell others about His sacrifice for them, then the stones will cry out instead (Luke
19:40). I do not want a rock doing what
God called me to do. I want to be a living epistle as evidence of God’s
existence. I want to proclaim His loving plan to rescue the whole world from
darkness and to bring us into the Kingdom of His beloved (Colossians
1:13).
God desires that we live a
life of obedience and spiritual purpose. He wants us to trust Him and not to
depend upon our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). Our own strength will fail, our human wisdom is
deficient and our goals and plans are futile (Isaiah 31:11). Since we are filled with God’s Spirit, He desires that we
also live by His Spirit, and follow the Spirit's leading in every moment of
every part of our lives (Galatians
5:25).
What are you passionate
about? Channel that passion into service for the King of kings and Lord of
lords. Give Him complete reign over your life and let your light shine so
brightly that those in the sphere of your life will glorify our Father in
Heaven (Matthew 5:16).
Recently, NASA recorded sounds made by stars and galaxies in the universe.
Played simultaneously, it is not hard to imagine God in His heavens enjoying
their serenade. Let us join creation and sing praises to God continually not
only with our voices, but also with our mind, our heart and our service. Be a
living testimony of God’s existence to the world around you.
Prayer:
Lord
Jesus, remind us to submit first to God and then to resist the devil, so he
will flee from having any influence in our life (James 4:7). Prompt
us to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), so that we will stand against the evil one in our
times of temptation. Teach us to rely on the leading of Your Spirit moment by
moment throughout the day, so that we can accomplish the works You called us to
do before the foundation of the earth and the beginning of time (Ephesians
1:11). Thought for the Day:
Spiritual victory is only won as we enter each battle clothed in the armor of God and not in our own strength. – Ephesians 6:11
Thank you, Heather Johnson, for the use of your photo.
