Thursday, October 8, 2009

Devotional 081009

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. Thank God for grey sky and embracing cloud. This is how our Creator God designs this planet earth, so that she will offer different seasons for our crops to grow. Our God is good and He watches over His own creation. Not only that, He came into human history to offer us the hope and peace that surpass human understanding. His hope enables us to sail through turmoil in life. His peace empowers us to stand firm in the midst of stormy strife in life. And His daily presence is our hope and peace. Amen?

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Is it not humiliating to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of the things we will not come to Jesus Christ about. If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words - "Come to Me." In every degree in which you are not real, you will dispute rather than come, you will escape rather than come, you will go through sorrow rather than come, you will do anything rather than come the last lap of unutterable foolishness - "Just as I am." As long as you have the tiniest bit of spiritual arrogance, it will always reveal itself in the fact that you are expecting God to tell you to do a big thing, and all He is telling you to do is to "come."

"Come unto Me." When you hear those words you will know that something must happen in you before you can come. The Holy Spirit will show you what you have to do, anything at all that will put the axe at the root of the thing which is preventing you from getting through. You will never get further until you are willing to do that one thing. The Holy Spirit will locate the one invincible thing in you, but He cannot remove it unless you are willing to let Him.

How often have you come to God with your requests and gone away with the feeling - Oh, well, I have done it this time! And yet you go away with nothing, whilst all the time God has stood with outstretched hands not only to take you, but for you to take Him. Think of the invincible, unconquerable, unwearying patience of Jesus - "Come unto Me."

What is holding you back from going to Jesus today? Yes. You have been a Christian for a period of time. But when Jesus calls you to “come to me,” are you eager to respond and go to Him? We always have many excuses not to go; “I am too busy to rest in Him” is a most common one. “I am not sure this is a call from God to walk with Him” is another. “I need to discern whether this call is truly from Him or not” is the most spiritual one (sigh). Whatever excuse you give yourselves not to respond to God’s call, you know it is not true. Jesus used a parable to describe this kind of common attitude, “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come” (Luke 14:16-20). Does it sound familiar to you? God has prepared a spiritual feast for you everyday. He knows you need to rest and be recharged for more energy. But you keep on giving Him excuses not to enjoy your feast and rest. What is holding you back from enjoying the presence of God? Search your soul and be honest with yourself. The Lover of your soul is waiting to have communion with you. You don’t need to carry your load all by yourself. Jesus said, “come and I will give you rest.

Love you in His rest,
Lawrence

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