Devotional 090209

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. It is wonderful to be able to sleep longer after a weekend ministry. Even though it was exhausting, the joy of fulfillment is overwhelming. Thank God for giving me and Loretta to witness His work in the retreat. He is active among His people and in His church. Many lives were touched because of His word. Praise the Lord! I recognized more and more that preaching is a spiritual battle. It seemed to be easy to ‘talk’ only for an hour or so in each session. But the process of preparation and delivery was like wrestling with Satan or an evil force within my self. It required a lot of prayer and meditation to focus on God; listen to what He may want to say to His people, and consider how within my limitations to deliver it. But God always provides strength to His children as we wait or depend on Him.

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom" (Isaiah 40:28). Exhaustion means that the vital forces are worn right out. Spiritual exhaustion never comes through sin but only through service, and whether or not you are exhausted will depend upon where you get your supplies. Jesus said to Peter - "Feed My sheep," but He gave him nothing to feed them with. The process of being made broken bread and poured out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other souls until they learn to feed on God. They must drain you to the remains. Be careful that you get your supply, or before long you will be utterly exhausted. Before other souls learn to draw on the life of the Lord Jesus direct, they have to draw on it through you; you have to be literally "sucked," until they learn to take their nourishment from God. We owe it to God to be our best for His lambs and His sheep as well as for Himself.

Has the way in which you have been serving God betrayed you into exhaustion? If so, then rally your affections. Where did you start the service from? Did you start from your own sympathy or from the basis of the Redemption of Jesus Christ? Continually go back to the foundation of your affections and recollect where the source of power is. You have no right to say - "O Lord, I am so exhausted." He saved and sanctified you in order to exhaust you. Be exhausted for God, but remember that your supply comes from Him. "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength; They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isa 40:29-31).

This passage comes so timely for me. I was really exhausted after Mexico and the retreat back to back. Praise God for finding strength and promise in Him. Indeed, our strength is from the Lord. When we focus in Him and rejoice in His glory and love, new spring of energy returns to me because the Joy of the Lord is my strength. When we abide in Him, Jesus promised, “my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). Praise the Lord…Amen.

Love you in His joy,
Lawrence