A Christian Devotional

[Shammu]

Emmanuel! (God with us!)

Joshua 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Moses was used mightily by the Lord, yet we all know he had his inadequacies and limitations too. Still he was the vessel through which God chose to work through as He carried out the plagues over Egypt, divided the Red Sea and miraculously led and fed the children of Israel for forty years. That's pretty big stuff. Can you imagine having to be Moses' successor after all that? That's exactly what Joshua had to do. I can't even begin to imagine what Joshua was thinking at the time -- How can I possibly live up to Moses? But the Lord comforts and reassures Joshua and says, "as I was with Moses, so I will be with you!"

Those words for Joshua are also for us today. You know why? All the men and women who have done great things for the Lord were just ordinary men and women --- with a great God. The same God who walked with Moses, Elijah, Daniel and all the great men and women of God -- is with us today! Not only is He with us, He is FOR us too!

Let's walk in confidence! God is with us! He will never leave us nor forsake us! In His presence and with His power, let's expect to do great things for the Kingdom today! God loves to show off his supernatural power through us ordinary people!

[Shammu]

Here's something to THINK about!

James 3:5-6 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

An old copy of Today in the Word contains this story.

"In the washroom of his London club, British newspaper publisher and politician William Beverbrook happened to meet Edward Heath, then a young member of Parliament, about whom Beverbrook had printed an insulting editorial a few days earlier. "My dear chap," said the publisher, embarrassed by the encounter. "I've been thinking it over, and I was wrong. Here and now, I wish to apologize." "Very well," grunted Heath. "But the next time, I wish you'd insult me in the washroom and apologize in your newspaper."

Too often, we allow ourselves the liberty to say things for which we end up being sorry later. Ugggh. I hate it when that happens. And I don't believe the Lord is all that happy about it either. We really need to think before we speak! I heard one person once put it beautifully. Before we say something let's "THINK"!

T- is it True? H- is it Helpful? I- is it Inspiring? N- is it Necessary? K- is it Kind? THINK! If what we're about to say does not pass those tests, let's not say it!

God has great things for us to be doing. We must allow Him to refine us and prepare us for His work! Let's strive to think before we speak.

[Shammu]

Be freely fed!

Psalms 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

The word verily, in this verse, is the Hebrew word “emunah” (em-oo-nah). It also means faith or faithfully. When we trust in the Lord, He declares that He will faithfully feed us. How will we be fed?

The Hebrew word for fed is “roeh” (roh-eh), which also means shepherd. Messiah came to become our chief shepherd. A shepherd not only feeds his sheep, he guides them in the way that they should go. They know his voice, trust him, and follow his direction.

Are you hungry to be closer to Him? Seek Him and He will feed you! But it all begins with us – having a deeper desire to be more intimate with Him. He is faithful to feed and shepherd all those who put their trust in Him!

[Shammu]

Access the power from on high!

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Have you ever thought about how much power God releasing in our midst right now? Is it 20%... 50%... 100% of His great power?? I would venture to say that God is not even releasing a fraction of 1% of His power today. That might sound crazy to you, but think about it. If He were to release all His power on this earth, don't you think that sin would be completely destroyed and righteousness and holiness would abound?

God is an all-powerful, all-encompassing God, and there is no limit to what He can do. He chooses to release His power through His saints -- through sinners that have been washed by the blood of the Lamb! We have access to amazing power from on high -- but we have to be open vessels, allowing the anointing of God to flow through us!

The power to tread upon serpents, scorpions and every power of darkness has been given to us! Let's pray like we've never prayed before! And allow the Lord to use us as vessels through which His power can be released!

[Shammu]

Emergency! 911! Sound the alarm!

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Ya know - something occurred to me this past week.

We, and I know many other brothers and sisters around the world have been praying and praying for revival to come. We've been seeking God for the seeds we've sown in prayer to be harvested in these crucial hours, when they are becoming ripe for the picking. We've been asking God to reveal Himself to His people and bring laborers into the harvest.

But people are dying. Ripe fruit is falling and spoiling in the fields. And still, there are few laborers to do anything about it. Why Lord?!

It became clear to me recently why. Jesus said that they will know Him by the love we have for one another. The world will know Him by the love we, believers, have for one another. Where's the love, friends? Our body is so divided, over silly issues that don't even matter in the big scheme of things! Our marriages and churches are being torn apart for lack of understanding of the enemy's tactics upon us!

How can the fields be harvested? We are not prepared for them! We are not ready to minister! We're so busy looking at ourselves and our problems! Most of us are not even aware of the critical condition we are in as a body! This is an EMERGENCY! We need to wake up and smell the desperate stench of dying souls! Not only those out there in the world but the ones who are part of us -- we, and our hurting brothers and sisters in the Lord! We need to start loving one another, that the Lord may be glorified, that His Kingdom come!

Let's start overlooking offenses today! Let's learn the devils schemes! Let's win the hearts of the lost by our love for one another!

[Shammu]

Keep on sowing!

Galatians 6:8-9 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

A friend sent us this amazing story.

A young man who had been raised as an atheist was training to be an Olympic diver. The only religious influence in his life came from his outspoken Christian friend. The young diver never really paid much attention to his friend's sermons, but he heard them often.

One night the diver went to the indoor pool at the college he attended. The lights were all off, but as the pool had big skylights and the moon was bright, there was plenty of light to practice by. The young man climbed up to the highest diving board.

As he turned his back to the pool, on the edge of the board and extended his arms out, he saw his shadow on the wall. The shadow of his body was in the shape of a cross. Suddenly, he felt a strange feeling, like someone was speaking to him. Instead of diving, he knelt down and finally asked God to come into his life.

As the young man stood in deep reverence before the Lord, a maintenance man walked in and turned on the lights. The pool had been drained for repairs.

Mm. Sometimes we get frustrated. It seems like our words are falling on deaf ears and that our loved ones will never see the truth. But we never know how God is working in those for whom we've been praying. He often has a plan we know nothing about!

Let's not be discouraged when we don't see the fruit right away. God knows the day and the hour and He will be faithful to follow through. Keep praying. Keep sharing. Keep sowing the seed!

[Shammu]

The Lord cares for you!

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

One of my favorite and most admired men of faith is a man named George Mueller. George Mueller (1805-1898) did many great works for the Lord in his lifetime, among them building several orphanages.

The following is a great story he tells:

It was time for breakfast at of one of my orphanages in England and there was no food. Not only was there no food in the kitchen, but there was no money in the home's account. A young girl whose father was a close friend of mine was visiting the home. I took her hand and said, "Come and see what our Father will do." In the dining room, long tables were set with empty plates and empty mugs. We sat down at the table with the others and and I prayed, "Dear Father, we thank Thee for what Thou art going to give us to eat."

At once, we heard a knock at the door. There stood the local baker. "Mr. Muller," he said, "I couldn't sleep last night. Somehow, I felt you had no bread for breakfast, so I got up at 2 o'clock this morning and baked you some fresh bread. Here it is." Muller thanked him and gave praise to God. Soon afterward, a second knock came. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. There was no way to move and repair the cart except to empty it of the milk he needed to still deliver so he asked me if we could use his milk. We had a wonderful breakfast that morning.

Faith was the pinnacle of George Muller's life. Without a personal salary, he relied only on God to supply the money and food he needed to support the hundreds of homeless children he befriended in the name of Messiah. A man of radiant faith, he kept a motto on his desk for many years that brought comfort, strength, and uplifting confidence to his heart. It read, 'It matters to Him about you.' Mueller believed that those words captured the meaning of 1 Peter 5:7, and he rested his claim for divine help on that truth. He testified at the end of his life that the Lord had never failed to supply all his needs.

Remember that God is concerned with our every need! Cast your cares upon Him today.

[Shammu]

Are you a good person?

Mark 10:18-21 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

I can't begin to tell you. So many people I've shared the Gospel with have answered, "Well -- I don't need that, I'm a good person." No, we're not. We have a tendency to compare ourselves with our neighbor, thinking how nice or how giving we are compared to him or her. But none of us are good by God's standards. Our good works are like filthy rags, according to Isaiah.

This guy thought he was a great guy. "Yeah Jesus, really, I've done all this stuff you say, even from my youth!" One thing he lacked, though. He needed to take up his cross and follow Him.

We can do lot's of good things. But have we truly taken up our taken up our cross today and followed Him today? It's time. Today is the day to take up our cross! Today is the day to give our lives for God's purposes and follow Him! There's so much work to be done!

[Shammu]

One more important thing!

Mark 10:18-21 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

Yesterday, I shared from this same passage. But today, something even more powerful touched my heart about it -- and it was so humbling, I had to share it with you too.

Yes, it's true that we as humans tend to compare ourselves with one another and think highly of our good works. And it is true that not one of us is good by God's standards and that our good works are like filthy rags according to Isaiah. However, seeing all this -- Jesus beheld this man…. and loved him. "Jesus loved him," it says. And then, only then did he tell him the hard-to-swallow truth.

The Gospel is not just truth -- it is much more than that. It is the truth told in love.

When we share this Good News, must behold, and truly love the person with whom we're sharing it!

Even to those who hated Jesus, He told it in love. How much more should we be sharing that way with our friends and family?? Jesus told the truth in love and that's the way we should strive do it too.

Lord, help us! We want to love one another as You have commanded! Give us hearts of flesh for our hearts of stone and help us to truly love one another, that your Name may be glorified when we speak your truth! We want to do great things for You!

[Shammu]

Want a greater treasure?

Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

The Lord quotes this scripture in Matthew. It contains an important principle which I think we sometimes tend to overlook. Many believe and even teach that if someone acquires much material prosperity, then God has surely given them favor, and that if someone is undergoing extreme trial, it must be because they have sinned or that they lack faith. But the Lord says that the sun rises and the rain falls on both the righteous and the unrighteous alike. A life of good circumstances does not necessarily mean that God is with us. And likewise, a life of trial and suffering does not mean that God is not with us!

If we base our lives on our circumstances, we are no different than people without God. What makes us different from the world is that we have something far greater than our circumstances! We can live victoriously both in want and in plenty because we have a relationship with the living God!

There is nothing wrong with rejoicing through the good times but we need to rejoice through the bad as well! If you're going through some hard times, choose to rejoice in the Lord today! We have a greater treasure and a more amazing victory when our lives are centered upon Him at all times!

[Shammu]

Flex!

Hebrews 5:13-14 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

For those of you who don't know, Merv Griffin died on Sunday. Interestingly enough, today's devotion has to do with a show of his from way back when.

The guest was a body builder. During the interview, Merv asked "Why do you develop those particular muscles"? The body builder simply stepped forward and flexed a series of well-defined muscles from chest to calf. The audience went wild. "What do you use all those muscles for"? Merv asked. Again, the muscular specimen flexed, and biceps and triceps sprouted to impressive proportions. "But what do you USE those muscles for"? Merv persisted. The body builder was bewildered. He didn't have an answer other than to display his well-developed frame.

Hmm. Made me think about our spiritual muscles. Are they only for show? Have we even developed any? I ask that because it has occurred to me that many of us are no more Christ-like today, than we were ten or twenty years ago. We're content with our new church buildings, our outstanding worship bands, our well-organized church programs and all the good friends we've made. But what about our spiritual development? What about our growth in the Lord? What about just us and Him?

With each year that passes, we should be able to say that we've grown in our faith. We should be able to say that we love God and others more today than we ever have before. If we can't say that, we're not growing in the Lord. It's hard to hear but it's so true.

I know my heart is convicted. How about yours? Let's start devoting ourselves to some spiritual body building today! There's so much work to be done!

[Shammu]

Blast off!

Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

Did you know that on a rocket's journey, the most force is exerted at its lift-off? The amount of force that is needed to get that rocket off the ground is so fierce that it could easily blow the whole thing to pieces. Interestingly though, the further the rocket moves from the earth's gravitational pull, the less energy it needs to move farther along.

Isn't it true with us as well? Whether it's breaking a habit, losing those first few pounds or learning something new, taking our first step into a new thing is the hardest part. That initial step always takes the most effort, the most energy. If we keep pressing on, however, it becomes easier and easier to move ahead!

As many of you know, the fact that we have moved ourselves and our ministry here is nothing short of a miracle! God has sustained us as we have pressed ahead through all the difficulties of acclimating to a new language and culture, pioneering a powerful ministry, and living by faith for all our physical needs.

We have come to Israel with a vision and purpose that we truly believe is from God. That vision includes a number of endeavors such as a relief center for needy and hurting Israelis, a leadership training center and much, much more! In so many ways, we, like that rocket are just in our beginning steps of take-off. Please stand in prayer with us as we press ahead to bigger and better things for the Kingdom!

Perhaps there is something new He wants you to be doing! God wants us to get out of our comfort zones and take that first step of faith so that we can see just how truly awesome He is! Together, let's take our first steps into something new!

[Shammu]

Peace maker or pacemaker?

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Being involved in ministry, my wife and I have experienced a few hairy situations in which we were called upon, either directly or indirectly, to mediate in an unresolved conflict.

Have you ever been a mediator? I'm sure you have in some way -- at home, church, work . It's not an easy task, is it? Jesus called us to be peacemakers. We, as Christians, are to be the ones to bring peace into any situation in this world of confict -- a very high and often difficult calling.

Here's a little anecdote that really spoke to me regarding this.

"I was once involved in a complex situation where a lawyer with many years experience was brought in as a consultant to a case. He sat back and listened carefully to get as comprehensive a picture as possible. All throughout the presentation, he kept being asked, "So what do you think so far?" 'Well, I'm still trying to get a more complete picture,' he would say, 'I have no comments as of yet.' Only when the picture became very clear did he make his comments and state his opinion. Because of his extensive experience, he knew that things are not always as they seem. Two sides in a quarrel each will have a different picture and it takes patience to get the entire picture."

Let's strive for humility, wisdom and patience like this. It's important for us to learn the art of peace making.

[Shammu]

Crush, mutilate, destroy!

2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

According to ancient Jewish legend, one day Abraham was shown his father, Terah's room of many idols. Young Abraham, thinking that perhaps he could discover intimacy with them, made some desirable delicacies and placed them before the idols. When nothing happened, he realized that these idols were nothing more than clay -- they could do nothing for him or anyone else for that matter. So he proceeded to destroy all the idols, except for one.

When Terah received word of this, he went to Abraham and said, "Son, what did you do to my idols?!" "I brought them delicacies," Abraham replied, "and then the biggest idol became envious of the others, and destroyed them all."Terah, furious with Abraham, said, "You're lying to me! How can idols made by my own hands do such things?" "You're right father." Replied Abraham, "Now tell me, then, why do we worship idols that can not eat, drink or even move?"

This kind of idol worship may sound far removed from us, but we too, have our idols. They may not be made of clay but they are very real! The love of money, possessions, success, leisure, food, sensuality, security and outward beauty -- the love of tradition and even our friends and family -- the pursuit of our goals and dreams are among some just off the top of my head. Most of these are not bad things in and of themselves, don't get me wrong. But if we are not careful, they can all easily become idols in our lives!

What is the object of our affections today? What takes up the majority of our time, effort, and resources? These are our idols. Anything that we allow to run our life becomes our god.

There is only One God we ought to be worshiping -- and He will not have any other god's before Him! Let's crush our idols today. We need to get right with the Lord so that we may be used mightily for His Kingdom!

[Shammu]

Never underestimate a youngster!

Matthew 21:16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

I heard this story about a professional golfer playing in Los Angeles one year of his career. The only caddy available was young and inexperienced. So, before they teed off, the golfer told him, "Don't say a word to me. And if I ask you something, just answer yes or no -- nothing else"

During one round, the golfer found his ball next to a tree, where he had to hit under a branch, over a lake and onto the green. He got down on his knees and looked through the trees and sized up the shot.

"What do you think?" he asked the young caddy, not really wanting his opinion. "Five-iron?"

"No," he replied. "What do you mean, not a five-iron?!" the pro-golfer snorted. "Watch this shot. "Again, the caddy insisted. "No-o-o."

But the ball was hit beautifully, and stopped a shocking two feet from the hole. The pro turned to his caddy, handed him the five-iron and said, "Now then young lad, what do you think about that?

"But…" the caddy said, "That wasn't your ball."

If it's one thing we've learned, it's that we need to listen to others. We have so much to learn from one another -- especially the young! We may have some great ideas but the Lord may well more for us and He wants us to keep an open ear!