Tag: #christiandevotional

Him Alone: Is He Really Enough?

Leave a comment

jesus

No soul can be really at rest until it has given up all dependence on everything else and has been forced to depend on the Lord alone. As long as our expectation is from other things, nothing but disappointment awaits us. Feelings may change, and will change with our changing circumstances; doctrines and dogmas may be upset; Christian work may come to naught; prayers may seem to lose their fervency; promises may seem to fail; everything that we have believed in or depended upon may seem to be swept away, and only God is left, just God, the bare God, if I may be allowed the expression; simply and only God.
~Hannah Whitall Smith

The LORD alone is my portion and my cup; You hold My lot. The lines have fallen for Me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the LORD who gives Me counsel; in the night also My heart instructs Me. I have set the LORD always before Me; because He is at My right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore My heart is glad, and My whole being rejoices; My flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon My soul to Sheol, or let Your Holy One see corruption. You make known to Me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
~ Jesus, in the prayer of the resurrection, from Psalm 16

Oh beloved, it is true.

Most of us have come to a place where we know that we absolutely need G_d. We have come to the end of ourselves, and we have come to realize that we are going to miss heaven unless Jesus saves us. We have come to faith in Him. And we know, that we know that we know: Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

But, just today, this fool of a writer had a lesson to re-learn. The Holy Spirit is so kind though, to allow us to see the things that were obvious to us only a few weeks or months before, but have become blurred by the waves and circumstances that churn about in our lives.

See, some years ago, He called me to work in Asia. For nearly 6 years, my entire being has been thrown into battle after battle to save souls, and preach to the oceans of lost people in this part of the world. And, to a great extent, the battle has been effective. Thousands have heard the message, and some hundreds have sensed His fragrance in the message of the Great News we have been given the privilege to share.

However, about a month and a half ago, the place we thought might be our final posting informed us of some unsolvable problems with my wife’s visa, and changes in the staffing plan for the school where we work in Tianjin, China. It was devastating. It felt like getting punched in the stomach. … Jobless soon in China.

Immediately, my beloved spouse and I have dived into a job search around the globe. We have been seeking His guidance and a word on where we are supposed to go next. And, there is nothing wrong with a person seeking employment in the world. But, it was in the middle of this frenetic search, that He stopped me in my tracks.

I sensed Him say, “Am I enough for you, Mak?”

Can we see it?

Notice even how Jesus was praying in Psalm 16. He was not praying that The Father would help Him get out of the grave, and give Him His strength back. Not that any of those things would even be wrong… But, notice how He prays.

It is The Father Who is what Jesus wants. Jesus does not want anything but to be in the the Presence of His Father. Don’t miss this. Jesus had just laid waste to death, to time, to enemies that had sought to kill Him, and destroy Him. Jesus had just been through a terrible ordeal and would rightly be seeking the comfort of anything He could get His hands on.

But no. He only wanted One Thing. Jesus wanted His Dad; and to be with Him. This was enough.

And I guess, if we think about it, why would we want anything else? Do a test. What if you could get to heaven, and have everything you ever wanted. All the riches, and even all the friends you knew in this life…. But, you would not ever get to meet The Maker of the place. How would you feel?

Can you feel it? That tug? That emptiness?

Most of you can, and it is telling you something. It is the Triunity of G_d, the very basis of Love and relationship that we all long for. We have just been thinking that it is the other stuff we wanted. We thought we needed a job – but really we wanted the feeling of security.

He is our Security
He is our Hope
He is our Fullness
He is our Safety
He is our Belonging
He is what we have been wanting…

So, yeah, it is has been a week of reawakening to something… The question of “Am I enough for you, Mak?” is actually easily answered. Is anything enough for us, but Him? Or course not.

He is enough. More than enough. I want Him alone. Nothing else will do.

Tonight is your night too. Is He enough for you?

Written by Makala Doulos: Makala Doulos is a child of G_d, a husband to his wife, a father to his children, and a teacher to his students. But mostly, he is a prisoner set free by Jesus. Love has invaded his life, crushed it, and made it new. Now, G_d’s Love is what constrains him to live in full surrender to the freedom The Father and Son and Holy Spirit have bought for us all. Grace and Peace to you all.

The Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 1-4| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Unleashing Hope Banner

Daily Quote: I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when my fear is gone I will turn and face fear’s path, and only I will remain.
~ From Frank Herbert’s, Dune and the Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, Psalm 33:18

 

Living in Fellowship

Leave a comment

iStock-500907531.jpg

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.” (James 3:13)

I started this devotion from a topic we were discussing at the colony. We were working through how to live in fellowship with God, and how – out that relationship – to live in harmony with the world, with our church, with our family, etc. However, during this week’s theme, there were more conflicts than healthy fellowship, I wanted to change the topic to how to deal with conflict.

“But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.” (James 3:14)

As I heard each person’s perception of the conflict,, I noticed that the initial conflict was not the real or major issue on the table, but that there was conflict in the inward parts, inner-man, heart issues, secret places, the mind; whether consciously or unconsciously, each person tended to speak out of their personal biases.

“This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” (James 3:15, 16)

Living in fellowship is striving to be peaceable and reasonable with each other, understanding that everyone is working through some sort of issue. There are times when conflict is tough and uncomfortable to process through, but through Christ believers can deal with them merciful.

“And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:18)

Written by Juan Mendez: Juan is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and full-time staff member at America’s Keswick.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 108-110| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

screen-shot-2017-01-01-at-8-38-30-pm

Daily Quote: “Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional.” – Max Lucado

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34

 

 

 

 

That Beautiful Name

Leave a comment

iStock-598155414.jpg

“You didn’t want heaven without us, So Jesus, You brought heaven down…

My sin was great, Your love was greater, What could separate us now…

What a wonderful Name it is

The Name of Jesus Christ my King”

This has been one of those weeks, a time when sorrow and grief have clashed with Joy and Hope like a wave crashing onto the rocks in a storm. How is it that the heart can break and rejoice at the same time? The key is in the Power of His name… Jesus. The songwriter proclaims, “You have no rival, You have no equal, Now and forever… Our God reigns, Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the glory, Yours is the Name, above all names… What a powerful Name it is.”

A fourth century monk named Telemachus from Asia is credited with halting the gladiatorial contests. Having come to reside in Rome where these ‘abominable spectacle were being exhibited’, he went himself into the stadium, and stepping down into the arena, endeavored to stop the men who were wielding their weapons against one another… all while crying out, “In the Name of Jesus Christ, Fordear!”.  The spectators of the slaughter were indignant, and inspired by “the triad fury of the demon that delights in those bloody deeds, stoned the peacemaker to death. When the emperor was informed of this, he numbered Telemachus in the number of victorious martyrs, and put an end to that impious spectacle.” What enables a man to place himself at deaths door for the sake of saving others lives? What principles must he believe? More importantly, what powerful truth did he proclaim that had such an indelible impact, causing such violence to cease and lives to be changed…? It is that powerful name, the name of Jesus, “that every knee should bow too, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:10-11) Do you know that name, and I mean not just know ‘of it’, but do you intimately know Him, having by faith believed in His finished work of redemption? I hope so.

Do you want to withstand the storms of life? Can you rejoice as a loved one slips from your arms and walks through Heavens gates? Can you wait on God’s timing having trusted in His will and released your own? Do you desire to allow the crucible of suffering to refine you into His extraordinary character, enabling you to not only face the lions of this life, but to change their hearts as well? Then you must come to “know” Jesus and the power of His name.

I look forward to the day when those ‘who know His name’, sing this song together in the presence of the One whose name is Beautiful, our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray you are there too.

Choose wisely…

Praying 4 U

Written by David Brown: David Brown is a husband, father, and grandfather with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is a member of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church.

The Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 14-18| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

screen-shot-2017-01-01-at-8-38-30-pm

Daily Quote: “You were the Word at the beginning, One With God the Lord Most High, Your hidden glory in creation, Now revealed in You our Christ… What a beautiful Name it is… The Name of Jesus Christ my King.” – Hillsong

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14

Praying 4 U