A Christian Devotional

[Shammu]

Revival is available to us today!

Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Revival is that sovereign work of God in which He visits His own people, restoring and releasing them into the fullness of His blessing. --  Robert Coleman
 
Over the years I've often gotten emails asking "Do you think revival will ever come to the United States?, When do you think it will come?"  While re-reading Charles Finney's lectures on revival recently, I was reminded that a key aspect of world revival is revival within ourselves.  Revival must begin within each of us.....and it's not just a one time event but an ongoing process of desiring to be closer to Him. Once, a lady asked Billy Sunday "Why do you keep having revival meetings?"   And he quickly retorted, "Why do you always take a bath?"

Revival is an ongoing transformation of our hearts to be constantly moved by the Spirit of God.  We need to be daily breaking up our fallow ground, those places in our hearts which we've allowed to grow hard.  How? We have to first ask the Lord to reveal those hard places, pray that He would forgive us and ask Him to heal all our rough edges that we might be soft before Him and sensitive to His leading. Only then will we be changed and be in a place where we can contribute to revival around us. 

[Shammu]

What is God's will?

Romans 12:1,2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

A woman once asked John Wesley what he would do if he knew that he would die at midnight the next day. "Why, Madam," he replied, "just as I intend to spend it now. I would preach this evening at Gloucester, and again at five tomorrow morning, after that I would ride to Tewkesbury, preach in the afternoon, and meet the societies in the evening. I would then go to Martin's house...talk and pray with the family as usual, retire myself to my room at 10 o'clock, commend myself to my Heavenly Father, lie down to rest, and wake up in glory."

So many people wonder what God's will is for their lives. John Wesley seemed to be quite confident that He was already walking in it!

We all need to work on offering our bodies as Living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God and no longer conforming to the pattern of this world but being transformed by the renewing of our minds. THIS, before anything else, is God's will for our lives! THEN, the Word says, we WILL be able to test and approve what His good pleasing and perfect will is!

Let's offer our bodies, minds and hearts again to the Lord today and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to His perfect plan for our lives. There is so much work to be done!

[Shammu]

Touch someone and bring out their inner beauty!

Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

A young couple was visiting a reknown jewelry store in New York City.  They browsed through cases of magnificent diamonds with their gleaming yellow light along with many other splendid precious stones.  Among those beautiful stones, one in particular caught his wife's eye. It was completely lusterless and didn't seem to be in the right place."That is one terrible looking stone, do you see that?", the she said.   The curious husband asked a clerk if they could see the stone. The clerk opened the case, took out the stone and held it in his hand for a few minutes. When he opened it, there was a perfectly flawless stone. There was not a place on it that didn't gleam with the splendor of the rainbow.  "How did you do that?", they asked in surprise. "This is an opal", he replied. "It is what we call the sympathetic jewel. It only needs contact with the human hand to bring out its wonderful beauty."

Merely a touch brings out this stone's beauty.  We live in a world where beauty is hidden under pain, sin and suffering.  How many lives only need the warm touch of human sympathy, love and compassion, to make them gleam with a radiant splendor?   Reach out and touch someone this weekend for His glory!  Share with them the love of God and not only will they receive a glimmer of joy, but you will gleam with His radiance too! When the Lord asked whom shall I send, Isaiah replied "Hineni (here am I)".

Let's say "Hineni" today and be used by the Lord to bring out the beauty of those around us!

[Shammu]

Be broken!

Psalms 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

The word contrite in Hebrew is 'dakah' which means one that is crushed to pieces.   Paul wrote of being a 'living sacrifice' holy and acceptable to God.  Being a living sacrifice means we often can walk off the altar.  To be a continual living sacrifice we need to renew our minds day to day!  Let your mind be renewed  -- off the things which are worldly and onto those things which are Godly.  When our minds are focused on those things above, on His holiness, His righteousness, His grace, and His mercy -- we realize that we can always be closer to Him!  We understand what Isaiah meant when he said, "our righteousness is nothing but filthy rags before the Lord."

When God provided for Himself the perfect sacrifice, His Son, 2000 years ago -- His heart bursted!  His heart was cut through -- cut for you!  God desires you to be a living sacrifice and a necessary ingredient is a heart that has been cut through by God's sharp knife.  When you allow your heart to be continually cut through by God's Spirit, then your life will be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable before Him! 

It's wonderful what God can do with a broken heart, especially when we give Him all the pieces!

[Shammu]

Is Jesus in the center?

Revelation 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

The word "midst", in the Greek, is 'meros' which literally means "the middle". In the 'meros' of the throne in heaven is the Lamb of God. The very focus of heaven -- the center of attention -- is the Lamb of God!

So often we receive emails asking specific doctrinal questions about this new "revelation" or that new "teaching", and the very first thing I must ask myself is -- is Jesus in the center? If all of heaven is centered on the Lamb of God, how much should every doctrine be centered on Him? And how much more should our lives be centered on the Lamb that was slain for us?

The Lord expects us to test all things (1 John 4:1), and see if they are of God. Let's not get distracted with doctrines in which He is not the center.

[Shammu]

Be a cultivator of good soil!

Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

At any time, how receptive your heart is will determine your response to God's word.   If your heart has been trampled, and harden by bitterness and unforgiveness, then receiving God's message for you will become more difficult.  If your heart is like shallow soil on top of a rock, then your mind comprehends God's truths, yet these truths do not penetrate your heart to make a real difference in your actions.  Or if you are concerned about the riches of this life, then your focus is on the here and now, and these pursuits prevent God's Word from taking hold and producing quality fruit.  But a heart that is on good soil, receives the Word, applies the Word, and in due time bring forth abundant fruit! This is God's desire for you -- to have a heart cultivated on good soil!

How do you cultivate a heart on good soil?  Repent of any bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, or any other sin that is hardening your heart!  Seek the power of God to search your heart thoroughly and completely to root out all the weeds that hinder cultivating good soil.  Cultivating good soil is a daily task -- weeds spring up out of nowhere to hinder our growth.  But  , you are not ignorant of Satan's devices (2 Cor. 2:11).  So break up your fallow ground, sow yourself in His righteousness, and soon you will bring forth abundant fruit fit for the kingdom!

Cultivate your life in Him -- and He will produce His fruit through you!

[Shammu]

Please forgive us for the recent repeats!

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

We've been traveling and ministering all over the US and we're truly exhausted.

Last night my wife had a dream that we were in a pool of water surrounded by walls with no where to get out. To make matters worse, we were in there with two hungry and vicious sharks. Somehow, the only other thing we had were two little baskets of strawberries. As the sharks would come our way, we'd throw a strawberry in the other direction and the sharks would dive in to devour it. Just as our strawberries were running out, she woke up in a sweat.

When we mentioned this dream to an Israeli friend of ours, she said, "Two good things I see about that dream -- God provided you with fruit to ward off the devourers and -- you woke up!

If you're feeling trapped and surrounded at every side today, be encouraged! He will never give us more than we can handle and He'll always give provide us with a way out!

[Shammu]

Have a victor mentality!

1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

In 2nd Samuel Chapter 9 we read of the story of King David and Mephibosheth.   Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and the grandson of the first king of Israel, King Saul.  After Jonathan's death, David went forth to show kindness to Saul's house.  Mephibosheth had become lame at the young age of five -- he had lived his entire life as a cripple. When David calls him forth, Mephibosheth replies "What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?"  His identity was completely based on his disability, when in fact he was the grandson of a king! He had forgotton his royal lineage and was wallowing in self pity.  Yet David looked beyond his disability and recognizing who he was, offered him a place at the King's table.

How much time do we spend wallowing in our own self pity, groaning about things with which we struggle daily...so much so that it becomes who we are! The enemy would love nothing more than to keep us focused on our disabilities so that we are distracted from the calling of God on our lives. He wants us to have a "victim mentality". But let's not lose focus of the reality of who we are.  In Jesus we are a chosen generation, part of a royal priesthood, and the King has offered us a place at His table! We are heirs of His great throne!!

In Him, we should have a victor mentality! Press forward -- know who you are in Him and take your rightful seat at the King's Table.

[Shammu]

How are your clothes fitting recently?

Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

You hear it said all the time but now we're seeing it with our own eyes -- it's amazing just how fast kids grow!  As my wife and I looked at our little Elianna we realize just how fast she's growing by the clothes she's wearing. Elianna just turned three, and suddenly the clothes that were too large for her six months ago, are now finally starting to fit!  She had to grow into them.

Isn't it so with us as we seek to serve the Lord?  We have been given a calling by the Lord which seems all too huge -- clothes too big!  We are called to be part of a royal priesthood, set a good example to the world around us, love our neighbor as ourself, share the good news, and soon to sit at the Lord's right hand and rule with Him!

I would say that those are big clothes to fit, but this is the Lord just revealing to us that we need to grow into our calling --  we need to grow into our royal positions!  These tasks may seem too large for us but the Lord wants us to grow into the ministry He is calling us to!

Don't worry if your clothes seem to large now. Spend time in prayer and worship -- leave sin and the power of sin over your life behind you -- be filled in His power to live out your calling. You will soon fill the clothes that He has prepared for you!

[Shammu]

Take action!

Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

One of my passions is studying history, especially the American Civil War. Here is an amusing story about General Stonewall Jackson's famous Valley Campaign. During the war, Jackson's army found itself on one side of a river when it needed to be on the other.

After telling his engineers to plan and build a bridge so the army could cross, he called his wagon master in to tell him it was urgent that the wagon train cross the river as soon as possible. At once, the wagon master started gathering all the logs, rocks and fence rails he could find and quickly put together a bridge.

Long before daylight, General Jackson got word that all the wagons and artillery had crossed the river. "Where are the engineers and what are they doing?" asked Jackson of his wagon master. "They are drawing up plans for a bridge, Sir." He replied.

Don't spend so much time drawing up plans -- be an example! Get out an take action!

[Shammu]

Time for an upgrade!

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

During our recent travels, we had to unexpectedly rent a car for one leg of our trip. When we went down to the parking lot to pick up the car, we opened the door only to find that it just reaked of cigarette smoke -- ugghh! Since we would have to suffer this stink for ten whole days, we decided to go back up to the front desk and request a different car. Well, what seemed to be a pain at the time, really turned into a great blessing.

Wouldn't you know it, they were out of cars in our class and had to upgrade us to a beautiful new Saturn with sunroof, heated leather seats -- the works! Fit for a king!!

Now, I don't mean to overspiritualize, but I think the Lord delights in giving us a nice upgrade sometimes, don't you?

We are kings and priests, part of the royal priesthood! The Lord loves to bless us and treat us as such -- especially when our hearts are truly given to His will! Let's open our eyes to see His blessings! God is good!

[Shammu]

Continue to be faithful!

1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

In my first years serving the Lord, I was dedicated to serving with an inner city bus ministry in the heart of Baltimore. We would go door to door and offer "free Sunday morning babysitting" for their kids. If they agreed to let us take their kids to church, we would come and pick them up early every Sunday morning. Many times, the obvious change in their kids' lives would make a great impression and their parents would be moved to come out to the church as well --- then they too would give their lives to the Lord! It was exciting to see whole families come to faith! The following story touched my heart, from Max Lucado's book, God Came Near.

Norman Geisler, as a child, went to a DVBS because he was invited by some neighbor children. He went back to the same church for Sunday School classes for 400 Sundays. Each week he was faithfully picked up by a bus driver. Week after week he attended church, but never made a commitment to Christ. Finally, during his senior year in High School, after being picked up for church over 400 times, he did commit his life to Christ. What if that bus driver had given up on Geisler at 395? What if the bus driver had said, "This kid is going nowhere spiritually, why waste any more time on him?

All of us could use some work on the area of faithfulness. We have a responsibility to win hearts for the Lord, yes, but not only to win them. We need to stick by these baby believers, faithfully pray for them, serve them to the best of our ability, help them along the way and not give up when the going gets tough!

Let's pray. Lord, help us to be the faithful people you desire us to be! We want to be shining stars for you, doing what you've called us to do and doing it with excellence! We give you our lives once again today and thank you for loving us the way you do. In Jesus precious Name, Amen.

[Shammu]

Feast your eyes on this!

Proverbs 15:15 All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.

Solomon wrote, "a merry heart has a continual feast!" But why does it seem like so many of us are not feasting? How do we maintain a merry heart?

Too often, we brood and complain over all the things we lack. Somehow we've come to believe that if good things would only come our way, we'd be truly happy. But it's not good things that bring a merry heart - it's living a life of wholehearted faith!

Paul said that he was content both in want and in plenty! Mathew Henry said, "Discontent is a sin that is its own punishment and makes men torment themselves; it makes the spirit sad, the body sick, and all the enjoyments sour; it is the heaviness of the heart and the rottenness of the bones." A third-century man penned these last words to a friend: "It's a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians--and I am one of them."

Lord, help us not to focus on the worldly things we lack. Help us to master our souls and overcome the world. We want to be men and women of GREAT FAITH! Lord, you have come that Your joy would remain in us, and that our joy would remain FULL! Help us to experience the full joy you have for us today! In Jesus Name we pray!

Let's begin feasting and filling our spiritual bellies with the His Word! Let's make our mouths to be filled with His praise! The joy of the Lord is our strength!

[Shammu]

Good things come to those who WAIT!

James 5:8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

A friend sent us this short story and we couldn't help but use it for today's devotion.

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, age five and Ryan, three. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson so she said; "Now boys, if Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.'" Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus."

This story cracked me up, but how true is it of our lives? We want what we want and we want it now!

M.H. Lount taught that "God's best gifts come slowly. We could not use them if they did not. Many a man, called of God to... a work in which he is pouring out his life, is convinced that the Lord means to bring his efforts to a successful conclusion. Nevertheless, even such a confident worker grows discouraged at times and worries because results do not come as rapidly as he would desire. But growth and strength in waiting are results often greater than the end so impatiently longed for. Paul had time to realize this as he lay in prison. Moses must have asked, 'Why?' many times during the delays in Midian and in the wilderness. Jesus Himself experienced the discipline of delay in His silent years before His great public ministry began."

Perhaps you've been waiting on something for a long time and you're weary. You're not alone! Let's ask the Lord to renew our hearts and desires today, and give us a fresh infilling of strength to wait on His perfect timing. Good things come to those who WAIT!

[Shammu]

Stand strong!

Luke 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

An official of a mission board, who knew it takes more than just desire to make a missionary, was appointed to examine a candidate for the mission field. He told the young man to be at his house at six o'clock in the morning. The young man complied and arrived a six o'clock sharp. The examiner kept him sitting alone in the room until ten. Then he finally came in and said abruptly, " Young man, can you write your name? A little taken aback by the simplicity of his question, the man paused. Before he could get a word out, the examiner blurted, "What, you don't know what it is?" The mission board official put him through a series of questions of that nature and then went to report to the mission board.

"Okay," he said, "he will do." I tried his patience for hours and hours and he did not break down; Then I insulted him and he did not lose his temper. This candidate answered with patience, fortitude, and gentleness. His faith was vindicated by the very quality of his character. He will make a good missionary."

Whether we realize it or not -- we all are in the mission field. Our patience is bound to be tested in ways we've never imagined and we'll most likely find it unfair and unkind at times. But standing strong in the Lord in the face of offensive treatment and enduring seasons of long-suffering is a testimony in and of itself -- and that will win souls!

Are you weary from the walk? Get your second wind! Count it all joy! You have endured much and you will see victory! Not only here on earth but when we meet the Lord!