Friday, February 6, 2009

Devotional 060209

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. The love of God remains unchanged even though the weather changes from time to time. We learn to rely on Him and drink from His love, so that we will be recharged and empowered to serve Him each day. There is no other way to make a difference in this world other than by those who abide in Him each day. Our love will easily burnt out. But His love sees no end. We need the Love of God to turn this world upside down. This morning, we prayed for our country and the political turmoil of the world. It reminds us of our Lord’s prophecy, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, ' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…All these are the beginning of birth pains” (Matt 24:4-8). The more we pray for this world, the more we are reminded of the second coming of Christ. We really need to commit ourselves to share the gospel to many who yet hear the gospel.

Paul said, "I am already being poured out like a drink offering" (2 Timothy 4:6a). "I am ready to be offered." It is a decision of will, not of sentiment. Tell God you are ready to be offered; then let the consequences be whatever they may be; there is no strand of complaint now, no matter what God chooses. God puts you through the crisis in private; no one person can help another. Externally the life may be the same; the difference is in will. Go through the crisis in will, then when it comes externally there will be no thought of the cost. If you do not transact in will with God along this line, you will end in awakening sympathy for yourself.

"Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar." The altar means fire – burning, purification and separation for one purpose only, the destruction of every affinity or relationship that God has not started and of every attachment that is not an attachment in God. You do not destroy it, God does; you bind the sacrifice to the horns of the altar; and see that you do not give way to self-pity when the fire begins. After this experience of purification by fire, there is nothing that oppresses or depresses you. When the crisis arises, you realize that things cannot touch you as they used to do. What is your experience of fire?

Tell God you are ready to be offered, and God will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be. We are called to be His own. And we can experience Him even more, when we commit ourselves to His altar. Let’s pray for one another on this.

Love you because we are His,
Lawrence

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