Devotional 200109

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. This morning, the whole nation focused on the inauguration of our new President. The excitement was high as well as the expectation. The whole world expects this new President can change the tide of the economic tsunami, but he is only a man; he is not the Messiah nor god. We pray that our new President will learn to place his trust in the Almighty God, who alone can give him wisdom and strength to lead this nation and this world. We heard the slogan “Yes we can!” repeatedly at the victory night of the election. If this nation learns to fear God as her forefathers did, then I will echo passionately, “Yes we can!” Otherwise, this slogan remains empty words that leads us to nowhere. The more we become self-reliance or self-centered, the more we will go down the spiral of self-destructions. May God have mercy on us!

"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) Sometimes we are fresh or vibrant for a prayer meeting but not fresh or vibrant for cleaning house! Being born again of the Spirit is an unmistakable work of God, as mysterious as the wind, as surprising as God Himself. We do not know where it begins; it is hidden away in the depths of our personal life. Being born again from above is a perennial, perpetual and eternal beginning; a freshness or vibrant all the time in thinking and in talking and in living, the continual surprise of the life of God.

Staleness or self-centeredness is an indication of something out of joint with God - "I must do this thing or it will never be done." That is the first sign of staleness. Are we freshly born this minute or are we stale, raking in our minds for something to do? Freshness does not come from obedience but from the Holy Spirit; obedience keeps us in the light as God is in the light.

Guard jealously your relationship to God. Jesus prayed, "that they may be one, even as we are one" (John 17:22b) – let nothing stand between you and God. Keep all the life perennially open to Jesus Christ; don't pretend with Him. Are you drawing your life from any other source than God Himself? If you are depending upon anything but Him, you will never know when He is gone.

Being born of the Spirit means much more than we generally take it to mean. It gives us a new vision and keeps us absolutely fresh and vibrant for everything by the permanent supply of the life of God. Each day, we should drink from this source of life, in order to truly make a difference in our own world, at our home or in our nation. By the mercy and strength of our Holy Spirit, we can really say, “Yes we can!” And each day will be fresh and vibrant because He lives in and among us. Amen?

Love you because of this freshness in God,
Lawrence