My Journey 5/25-5/29/2010

God's insight to me:

As I was reading Max Lucado's devotional I was wondering, what does Jesus see in me? Matthew followed Christ without a second thought. As I am obedient to God's calling on my life, through the "God's Love Outreach Ministry", I must admit it took a while before it sunk in. Many a times I questioned God to be sure this is what He wanted for me. Matthew got up and followed Him. I stumbled, stalled, restarted and questioned The Creator! What did He see in me? The same thing that He sees in all of us,"love"!

In the next devotional it states "life goes on." I have said this so many times when things goes astray. Life goes on. But the reality of it is in the next line, "will cease and pass away." So this earthly life does not go on. So many people have their priorities all mixed up. They are worrying about what tomorrow will bring in this world but fail to understand it could be over in a wink of an eye. God should be your #1 priority. As the author put it, "Are you ready?"

Charles Spurgeon's devotional about fruit made me recall "green seedless grapes." I am always amazed that you can not tell if the grape is going to be sweet or bitter by the look. This is also true I believe about some Christians. Oh they may look good, talk a good game but the true sweetness of God's grace just doesn't come through. So many one-hour Christians on Sunday. May we all strive to be better fruit bearing for Christ.

Wisdom is not what you know but what you sow! That is a powerful sentence from the devotional Heavenly Wisdom by Phil Ware. Likewise is this statement "sacrificial earthly action!" Simply put I believe it means, get your eyes off yourself.

I have often heard the quote, "He who hesitates is lost." In the devotional by Kenneth Copeland I understand how this can happen. In the beginning of this insight I mentioned how I questioned God when He called me for an outreach ministry. I stepped out in faith but then took a step sideways or just stood still. Thank You Jesus for the faith You have in me to accomplish the Father's will.

*************************************************
May 25
Follow Me By Max Lucado
“‘Follow Me,’” [Jesus] told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.” Matthew 2:9, NIV

You gotta wonder what Jesus saw in Matthew . . .

Whatever it was, it must’ve been something. Matthew heard the call and never went back. He spent the rest of his life convincing folks that the carpenter was the King. Jesus gave the call and never took it back. He spent his life dying for people like Matthew, convincing a lot of us that if he had a place for Matthew, he just might have a place for us.

*************************************************
May 26, 2010 - Daily Disciples Devotional

Today's Reading: 1 Chronicles 28-29; John 9:24-41
Today's Thoughts: One Thing Will Remain

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. Matthew 24:35

Time passes and life goes on, but there will come a day when the world as we know it will cease and pass away. Heaven and earth will be gone. In Noah's day, even as he built the ark and told the people of what was to come, they continued on as usual. They ate, drank, married and did all the things in life just as they always had done. Then the rains came, and within 40 days every living thing was under water, except for Noah and his family. Noah's family was safe in the ark. They listened to God's words and were saved.

The Bible is filled with prophecies concerning the last days. Many biblical scholars who study prophecy fully believe that we are in the last days and that at any moment our lives will be forever changed. Jesus could return at any moment. Are you ready? Or do you think that your life will just keep going? God did promise us that one thing would continue. He told us that His Word will never pass away. His Word through His Son, Jesus, will save us. All we have to do is believe in Him to live forever with Him. Our bodies will die but our eternal life will go on and on. We need to live for that day when we hear the Lord say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord' (Matthew 25:23).

*************************************************
May 27
As the Life -- So the Fruit by Charles Spurgeon

"For if these thing be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:8).

If we desire to glorify our LORD by fruitfulness, we must have certain things within us; for nothing can come out of us which is not first of all within us. We must begin with faith, which is the groundwork of all the virtues; and then diligently add to it virtue, knowledge, temperance, and patience. With these we must have godliness and brotherly love. All these put together will most assuredly cause us to produce, as our life fruit, the clusters of usefulness, and we shall not be mere idle knowers but real doers of the Word. These holy things must not only be in us, but abound, or we shall be barren. Fruit is the overflow of life, and we must be full before we can flow over.

We have noticed men of considerable parts and opportunities who have never succeeded in doing real good in the conversion of souls; and after close observation we have concluded that they lacked certain graces which are absolutely essential to fruit bearing. For real usefulness, graces are better than gifts. As the man is, so is his work. If we would do better, we must be better. Let the text be a gentle hint to unfruitful professors and to myself also.

*************************************************
May 28
Heavenly Wisdom
by Phil Ware

James 3:17-18
"The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."

Thoughts on today's verse

Now I know why righteousness is so hard to find: there aren't many sowers! Heavenly wisdom is full of sacrificial earthly action. That's a powerful reminder to me that wisdom is not what you know but what you sow!

Prayer:

Holy and Wise Father, thank you for demonstrating purity, peace making, consideration, submissiveness, mercy, good fruit, impartiality, and sincerity in Jesus. I ask for the power and the courage to demonstrate those qualities this week as I seek to live more like him. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

*************************************************
May 29
Don't Hesitate by Kenneth Copeland

He that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
– James 1:6-8

What happens when you hesitate to do something God has told you to do? Your adversary takes the first step. The devil gets the jump on you.

If you want to live by faith, hesitation is one of the most hazardous habits you could ever have. It comes from being indecisive. The Bible says a man like that is "unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything he thinks, feels, decides" (The Amplified Bible).

If you are double-minded, the decisions you make are split. You try to live by faith and protect your fear at the same time. You make faith statements like "I believe God is going to heal me." Then your fear whispers, "But I wouldn't want to say I'm well just yet." You're so busy going back and forth between faith and fear, you can't make any progress at all.

Kick the habit of hesitation today. Make a solid decision to trust in and act on the Word of God. Settle it forever. Resolve never to entertain doubts again. When doubt comes to your mind, cast it out quickly.

When God speaks, don't waste a moment. Step right out in faith. That way, you can always keep the devil a step behind you!