Friday, November 13, 2009

Devotional 131109

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. It is such a cool and gorgeous day! Praise the Lord. Pray that the Lord will empower you in your service to Him today. How blessed we are to be His children and be able to enjoy His daily presence in life! Let’s be faithful to one another because our Father is faithful to us in all His promises.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). We have to battle through our moods into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus, to get out of the hole-and-corner business of our experience into abandoned devotion to Him. Think Who the New Testament says that Jesus Christ is, and then think of the despicable meanness of the miserable faith we have - I haven't had this and that experience! Think what faith in Jesus Christ claims - that He can present us faultless before the throne of God, unutterably pure, absolutely rectified and profoundly justified. Stand in implicit adoring faith in Him, He is made unto us "wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." How can we talk of making a sacrifice for the Son of God! Our salvation is from hell and eternal condemnation, and then we talk about making sacrifices for Christ!?

We have to get out into faith in Jesus Christ continually; not a prayer meeting Jesus Christ, nor a book Jesus Christ, but the New Testament Jesus Christ, Who is God Incarnate, and Who ought to strike us to His feet as dead. Our faith must be in the One from Whom our experience springs. Jesus Christ wants our absolute abandon of devotion to Himself. We never can experience Jesus Christ, nor ever hold Him within the compass of our own hearts, but our faith must be built in strong emphatic confidence in Him.

It is along this line that we see the rugged impatience of the Holy Spirit against unbelief. All our fears are wicked, and we fear because we will not nourish ourselves in our faith. How can any one who is identified with Jesus Christ suffer from doubt or fear! It ought to be an absolute certainty of perfectly irrepressible, triumphant belief.

I don’t know how to respond to Brother Chambers’ powerful message. I was totally humbled by this reminder. How often we have doubt about our faith in Christ, or our walk with Him? How often we calculate our sacrifice or offering to God as though we have already done a lot! Many believers offer to God less than they gave tips to waiter or on dog food per month. They would take God for granted and His servants for granted as well. They would seek help from pastor or church, but they will never consider to pay for their service, as though ministers entitled to serve and they entitled to be served. If this is the attitude believers have toward God’s servants, what kind of attitude they have toward these servants’ Master? I heard of missionary’s story how believers from poor neighborhood would give their prime possessions like chicken, eggs and vegetables to the missionary in appreciation of the gospel he brought to them. Their giving signified their appreciation of the good gift they received from God. As Paul said, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Phil 4:11), I don’t think any ministers or missionaries are expecting anything in return because they consider their service to God as nothing in comparing to what Christ has accomplished on the cross for them. I am saying this to encourage you not to take God’s gift for granted or takes anyone who is caring for your well being for granted. During this season of Thanksgiving, I hope you will take action to appreciate your pastors or ministers who have been serving you faithfully in church without expecting anything in return. Respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work (1 Thess 5:12). Your gratitude toward His servants expresses your gratitude toward the Lover of your soul. As Jesus said in his parable, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matt 25:40), appreciate those who labor for you in church today.

Love you as fellow brother in Christ,
Lawrence

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