A Christian Devotional

[Shammu]

Grow up!

Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Ever use that phrase on your kids? "Come on, will you grow up already?!"

As our little one and a half year old explorer, Obadiah, is becoming more agile and able to communicate his desires, he's discovering more opportunities each day -- climbing on the furniture, opening the refridgerator and asking for various items, reaching things he was never able to reach before, whew! He's experiencing his new freedom and we're experiencing major exhaustion! But we've noticed that with his new found freedom comes the desire to have even more freedom -- and when something doesn't go quite the way he wants when he wants it, uh - oh, look out. Screaming, crying the whole nine yards. We are trying to teach him that this kind of behavior is not acceptable but it seems that he won't fully understand that concept until he "grows up" a bit.

One sign of maturity is the ability to delay gratification, or deny it completely. Wanting our way when we want it is childish behavior and doesn't work with God's plan for an anointed life! This may sound harsh, but I'm speaking to myself too!

There are no shortcuts to God. We cannot demand our way and our timing with Him. He has a perfect plan based upon His desires and His timing and if we want to go God's way, we must comply! And not only that, the things of God take time too -- developing a strong and annointed prayer life takes time a focused mind and spent with the Father, it doesn't come overnight. Reading and understanding the Word and applying it to our lives, it takes time and much practice!

Let's grow up today. God wants us to be a mature bride -- one ready to rule with Him when He comes!

[Shammu]

You are helping build it!

2 Corinthians 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

The noted English architect Sir Christopher Wren was supervising the construction of a magnificent cathedral in London. A journalist thought it would be interesting to interview some of the workers, so he chose three and asked them this question, “What are you doing?” The first replied, “I’m cutting stone for a shabby 10 shillings a day.” The next answered, “I’m putting in 13 hard hours a day on this job.” But the last said, “I’m helping Sir Christopher Wren construct one of London’s greatest cathedrals.”

Whether you realize it or not, we too are building something. We who believe are building up God’s Kingdom, the richest and greatest Kingdom this world will ever see!

Let’s examine ourselves and see if we need to make some changes in our perspective. We have the privilege of partaking in something amazing -- and better yet, doing it for the King of Kings!

Let’s give our will and our life back to the Lord today and focus on doing great things for the Kingdom!

[Shammu]

Be confident, He is our defense!

2 Kings 6:15-17 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

As we press in closer to the Lord and His calling on our lives, the enemy becomes more and more fierce, throwing all kinds of darts of fear and doubt our way. But as beloved children of God, we can trust the Lord to defend us! God has an invisible army all around, ready to protect us in our times of need. When the battle intensifies, when the enemy seems to be attacking from every side, when it seems all too great for our eyes, know that the Lord has placed His protection all around you! We may not see it -- but we must walk by faith!

Be encouraged -- “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them”. We are not alone!

[Shammu]

Are you ready for marriage?

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

If you are not familiar with Jewish tradition, this is fascinating. There are two principle figures in the ancient Hebrew marriage. The “Khatan” is the Bridegroom and the “Almah” is the virgin who becomes the bride. Almah also means the veiled one, the one who keeps herself hidden, the one who separates herself. This is a profound picture of us spiritually -- born to be the Bride and joined to God -- but keeping ourselves distant from Him, hidden and veiled. The beautiful thing is, though the Almah means one who separates herself, Khatan, the Hebrew Bridegroom, means one who joins himself.

Despite our distancing ourselves, He still comes near. God is the Khatan, the One who joins Himself to us, the one who joins Himself to our sorrows, our burdens, our sins, our separation.

The Lord is knocking at the door of your heart! Don't be distant, but instead let's remove our veils, unlock the doors and open our hearts to the Lord! With so much work to be done -- it's time to renew an intimate relationship with our Khatan -- our Bridegroom who's coming soon!

[Shammu]

Why a pearl?

Matthew 13:45-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

A jewler friend of ours sent us his beautiful interpretation of Jesus' parable of the pearl and we wanted to share it with you.

In Matthew 13, we see that a merchant sold all that he had to purchase a single pearl. But why, of all things, a pearl? As a jeweler, I would question the choice the Lord made -- choosing to leave the Father's side for a pearl instead of what I would think has much greater significance, the much coveted diamond. You may know that the diamond is graded in value according to the 4 C's, Cut, Color, Clarity & Carat-weight. The answer to my pondering was right there! The diamond receives a substantial portion of its value from the way a person cuts it -- the work of man's hand! Interestingly, the only natural gemstone that has more value when it is found than when men finish with it is the PEARL!

In the same way, we can add nothing to the work of Salvation! God has paid the price for us in full -- and a tremendous price it was. The God of glory, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords left all the splendor of Heaven to claim this pearl. And He gained it by paying a price that was far more precious than any of us could pay.

Sometimes we get so busy and we don't take time out consider this incredible work of God in our lives. He has bought us with a price. We are fully paid, fully ransomed, fully redeemed! We are the pearls of great desire! Let's walk in that victory today!

[Shammu]

Are you listening?

James 1:19-20 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt got tired of smiling that big smile and saying all the usual things at those White House receptions. So, one evening he decided to find out whether anybody was paying attention to what he was saying. As each person came up to him with extended hand, he flashed his big smile and said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." People would automatically respond with comments such as "How lovely." or "Continue on with your great work." Nobody listened to what he was saying, except for one foreign diplomat. When the president said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning," the diplomat responded softly, "I'm sure she had it coming to her.

"It's a funny story, but how often do we do the same? It seems that we have lot's to say but we are not very good at listening. Think about it -- how many language, speech and speaking courses can you find in your college course book? But can you find even one class on listening?? There is such a lack of good listening skills in this day and age that we have to pay someone a lot of money just to listen to us! More importantly, God has many things He desires to reveal to us -- but we're always talking, talking, talking!

Let's strive to do less talking and more listening today. Let's give the Lord and others a chance to be heard.

[Shammu]

Find power in prayer!

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Throughout the United States today believers are gathering for the National Day of Prayer. Since the founding of the country there have been 134 national calls to prayer, humiliation, fasting and thanksgiving issued by the President of the United States.

Prayer needs to be a huge part of our lives. We need to recognize that our spirit needs prayer like our body needs food! Charles Spurgeon once said, "We cannot all argue, but we can all pray; we cannot all be leaders, but we can all be pleaders; we cannot all be mighty in rhetoric, but we can all be prevalent in prayer."

Let’s commit to spending more time in prayer today! Make sure you don't allow the enemy to rob your time to pray -- for it's in prayer that we tap into God's unlimited power that makes demons tremble!

[Shammu]

Look beyond the blessing!

Luke 5:5-11 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

When Yeshua (Jesus) told His disciples to go into the deep waters and let down their nets for fish, they reluctantly did! And when they did, their nets were filled up with fish to the point of breaking. Peter, James, and John being fisherman as well as businessmen may have been tempted to continue fishing -- but they left their nets and followed Yeshua! They must have realized how much money they could have made with such a load of fish!

However, God had a different purpose! Although the disciples' occupation as fishermen -- God used it as a vehicle to demonstrate His great power and love. He wasn't blessing them with fish so that they would get excited about fishing. He was blessing them with fish so they could get their eyes off fishing and on the greater call that God had for them! Thankfully, they left the business of fishing and went off with the Lord to do great and mighty things.

Let's make sure we're not getting wrapped up in fish! Instead of focusing on the blessings of the Lord, let's remain focused on the Lord of the blessings!

We can rejoice in our blessings, but let's not dwell on them! Let's set our eyes on the Lord and the calling He has for us. When He sees that we have pure and willing hearts, He will be faithful to use us to accomplish His glorious plan!

[Shammu]

Put out the fire!

2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

When a power plant in a tiny village in Alaska caught fire one evening, a local fire truck stood, unused, in perfectly working condition as the plant burnt to the ground. Damage to the plant was great. And why did this state of the art firetruck go unused? So sad… simply nobody in the town knew how to operate it.

This is what I realized. Amidst the everyday fires we face in our lives, God has given us precious, perfectly good working, state of the art promises. Unfortunately, it seems that either we are ignorant of them or fail to know how to operate them!

D.L. Moody says that many of the promises God has given to His people, to us, "seem to be pretty pictures of an ideal peace and rest, but are not appropriated as practical helps in daily life. And not one of these promises is more neglected that the assurance of salvation. An open Bible places them within reach of all, and we may appropriate the blessing which such a knowledge brings."

Are you burning to put God's promises to work in your life today? I know I am! Let’s get into God’s Word, get to know the depth of His commitment to us, and put His wonderful promises to action! The fires are raging and there’s so much work to be done!

[Shammu]

Speak up already!

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

An elderly woman returned to her home from an evening of Church services when she was startled by an intruder. She had caught a man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables. “Stop!” she yelled, “Acts 2:38!” (Repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven).

The burglar stopped dead in his tracks and froze while the woman calmly called the police and explained the situation. As the officer was cuffing him, he asked the burglar, “Just out of curiosity, why did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell a scripture at you.” “Scripture?!” gasped the burglar. “She said she had an ax… and two 38’s!!”

It’s a funny joke, yes, but on a serious note -- I think we often underestimate the power of the Word of God! We have the source so very close -- its right at our fingertips and should be right on our lips! Yet, we neglect to declare it over our circumstances, that we may see the victory!

Let’s make it a point to start spending regular time in the Word, learning it and speaking it over our lives again and again! We need to be a walking testimony of His power and victory

[Shammu]

Rejoice, this is the day that the Lord has made!

Psalm 69:32 (YLT) The humble have seen--they rejoice, Ye who seek God--and your heart liveth.

There is an important lesson here and in other places of God's Word, namely that humility and gladness go together. What do the humble and the joyous have in common? They both look up. The humble are those who don't look down on anyone. The truly humble look up all the time. They have to look up, because their eyes are on God, and He's above them. The joyous are always looking up as well, otherwise they wouldn't be rejoicing. The joyous are believing the Good News, so they rejoice!

The prideful, however, are those who think they're above everything else and so they look down on people. The prideful are connected to the others who look down, the cynical, the doubting, the despairing, the depressed, the sorrowful and the hopeless. In the same way that the humble and the joyous go together, so do pride and despair. Humility leads to joy. Pride leads to despair. Let's get our eyes off ourselves, off of our problems, off of the world around us. Let's fix our eyes on Him, the Redeemer of our souls. Those who look up in humility, also look up in joy!

Together, let's fix our eyes on Him and be glad!

[Shammu]

Have you given your all?

Psalms 54:6 I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good.

During his reign, King Frederick William III of Prussia found himself in a bind. Wars had been costly, and in trying to build the nation, he was seriously short of finances. After careful reflection, he decided to ask the women of Prussia if they would bring their jewelry of gold and silver to be melted down for their country. Each piece of jewelry he received, he would exchange for a decoration of bronze or iron as a symbol of his gratitude. These decorations would be inscribed, 'I gave gold for iron, 1813'.

The response was overwhelming. But more importantly, the women prized these gifts from the king even more highly than their former jewelry! The reason, of course, is clear. They were proof that they had sacrificed for their king.

When we come to know our King, we, too should want to exchange the flourishes of our former life for Him. The amazing thing about our King is that He not only takes our jewels but He takes our rags too -- and uses them for the good of His Kingdom!

Perhaps there are some things we need to sacrifice to him today. Let's pray and ask for His revelation. There are great things awaiting those who give.

[Shammu]

Enter into His place of worship!

John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

President Franklin Roosevelt used to attend church in Washington. One day somebody phoned the church and asked, "Do you expect the President to be in church this Sunday?" The rector answered, "That I cannot promise. But we can expect God to be here, and we fancy that will be incentive enough for a reasonably large audience."

What if we overheard that the President of the United States was coming to our next worship service? We'd probably be very excited, invite all our family and friends and get there early enough to get a front row seat!

If that's what we'd do for the President, how much more excited should we be every week when someone far greater is expected to attend? The King of the Universe!

Be excited about going to worship services. Let nothing stop you. Expect God to be there and He will speak things to your heart, great and mighty things you may not know!

[Shammu]

Go away!

Psalms 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

Leonardo da Vinci, who excelled at many things -- as a painter, sculptor, poet, architect, engineer, city planner, scientist, inventor, anatomist, military genius, and philosopher said a wise thing:

"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment...Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen."

Have you found this to be the truth? We have! Any time we step back from a situation or project and take some time away, we undoubtedly gain new perspective and insight about it. Now, I know not all of us can take a week-long vacation at a luxurious resort to take time away from our difficulties, but we can, and must take a retreat with the Lord (which by the way, can be much more restful)! The Word says He makes me to lie down and green pastures -- It doesn't say He'd like us to, if we could try to take some time from our busy schedules -- it says He makes us!

It's time to take a rest from all the things that make us weary today -- ministry work included. Let's take some time out with the Lord and get quiet before Him. He has so many things He wants to reveal, if we would only give Him a chance to show us! He's has so many ways He wants to refresh us and refill our empty places, if we would only be obedient to His call!

[Shammu]

Be freed from your Egypt and don't look back!

Deut 26:8 And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:

The Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. In ages past, He led His people out of slavery in Egypt.

Egypt, for us today, symbolizes worldliness, carnality and spiritual bondage. The Lord wants to redeem us out of our bondage with His outstretched arm. He wants to lead us out of the burdens of the world and bring us into a place of freedom in Him!

His arm is a picture of His might and His strength. In Hebrew, the word for arm is "z'roah". His z'roah is mighty and able to bring us out of any bondage that hinders our spiritual walk.

Be encouraged! Whatever situation we may be in, whatever bondage has us enslaved, the z'roah of the Lord desires to display great signs and wonders in our lives and lead us out of our Egypts!