It Only Takes a Spark

 

There is a truth in life that we often overlook. The more that we value Christ's sacrifice for our life, the more intense is our desire to share Him with other people.

It only takes one spark to get a fire going. Letting people know that God's mercy is new every morning, and available in their life as well as our own, is the best news that some people could ever hear. They are just waiting for us to speak up (Romans 10:14).

The fountain of living water within us is not meant to cleanse and nourish us alone, but to overflow to everyone around us (John 7:38). We cannot hide the light of Christ within us under a basket, but we are to set it on a hilltop for the whole world to see (Matthew 5:15).

I want to take more of an advantage of opportunities to share the good news of God's love with other people. I do not want to take His sacrifice on Calvary's cross for granted, but I want to broadcast it to the whole world.

That way, anyone willing to listen to what I have to say will have the opportunity to surrender their life to His love just like I did.

If I can spark the curiosity or hunger in just one person, and that person and I share God's truth with one other person, and continue to do this every day, we will certainly soon set the world on fire.

Prayer:

Father God, give us the boldness and love for others to share Your Good News with anyone willing to listen. Give us many divine appointments throughout our day to tell people about salvation through Jesus Christ. Someone shared the news with us; so remind us to "pay it forward".

Break our heart over the sin in our life and draw us closer to Your presence within us with each passing day. Allow the intimacy we share with You to grow every moment of our life, and remind us to consult with Your Spirit all through the day (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Thought for the Day:

God's mercy is the greatest gift we have ever been given and we can share that Good News with anyone willing to listen to us; we just make that first move to greet or offer to pray for anyone God brings across our path.

 

Beyond Our Control

Life often bombards us with circumstances beyond our control. Each time we find a place of rest, something or someone beyond our control interrupts our serenity. We believe we have to maintain control over every aspect of our life in order to remain safe. Sometimes, we respond to adversity by fighting back or by grumbling and complaining. In resorting to this negative behavior, we actually lose our serenity altogether! Worry takes our mind off the here and now and keeps it either a prisoner of the past or trapped in an imagined future.

Psychiatrists say worry can also cause anxiety, apathy, headaches, decreases in our immune system, increases in blood pressure, insomnia, and even bad habits such as grinding teeth and biting nails. When our heart is in anguish within us, when the terrors of death assault us, when we are trembling with fears that attack us and when the horrors of life overwhelm us, we want to run far away and hide. We wish we had wings like a dove so we could fly away and be at rest. We long for a place of shelter far from the tempest of issues and emotions that storm our life (Psalm 55:4-8).

Since it’s often impractical to hide or fly away, we can patiently accept each circumstance as a new challenge to our faith and an exciting adventure planned for us by the Lord. God’s power manifests in our weakest moments. We can actually boast about how weak we are; because then, instead of showing off our own power and abilities, we live as a demonstration of Christ's power. We can follow Paul’s example and learn to be content in whatever state in which we find our self (Philippians 4:11-13). As we dwell in this secret place of the Most High, He will lead us, guide us and make all things work out for our good (Romans 8:28). God is always with us, working on our behalf. He is all we need.

The less we have, the more we depend upon God (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). If we draw our security from the Son Himself, instead of some weak reflection the world offers us, our rest will last for eternity. We may experience discomfort now and then from a fiery trial, a disappointing loss or a daunting challenge; but we will always have God’s Light, because His Sonshine never fades away. Difficulties come in life, but when we are weak, then He is strong for us. He is constant and always shares His love and wisdom with us regardless of our circumstances.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, when we trust in You, we will never experience the depression of hopes dashed against the cold reality of a faded moon. We will rest in the solid constancy of God’s never changing Son, because You never fail us nor forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5-8). You constantly make intercession to the Father for us every moment of our life (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34). Satan may bombard us with doubt and anxiety, but if we look to You, then Your perfect love will cast out all of our fear (1 John 4:18).

Thought for the Day:

Someone said, “Fear knocked. Faith answered the door and no one was there!”