Category Archives: Devos

Feb 13 2016
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Devos

The sense of satisfaction that comes from serving the Lord!

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As I get older (and as I work with young men and women preparing for Christian service) I find myself looking back on years of service for the Lord and encouraging young emerging leaders to look ahead! I want to look back with satisfaction – gratified at what God has accomplished through my efforts. I urge young leaders to look ahead and serve the Lord with all their hearts – “all in” if you please – so that they will have no regrets!

This morning during “coffee with the Lord” I read Paul’s reflection later in his life about what he had done – and what he resolved to do – as he sought to serve the Lord in apostolic ministry… Here it is in his own words…

“In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God! I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles [i.e. “the nations] to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ! I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, ‘Those who have never been told of him will see! And those who have never heard will understand!” (Romans 15:17–21 ESV)

“Pride” is a slippery word… filled with all kinds of risks for a “servant of the Lord!’ Paul, however, in this passage, is not talking about arrogance! He is talking about a sense of fulfillment, of satisfaction, of accomplishment, of calling pursued and realized… It’s the same kind of feeling a person has when a difficult task has been tackled and the tools are laid down at the close of the day, with the full knowledge they’ll need to be picked up again tomorrow… My dad, with satisfaction written all over his sweaty face after a busy day of hard work, would put it this way, “Well, that’s done… for today!”

Listen, I want that kind of attitude at the end of my “day” of labor! I covet it for every young servant of the Lord I am privileged to mentor! I’ll work hard and won’t be satisfied “until the whole world knows!”

Feb 12 2016
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Devos

During a national (or personal) crisis it pays to pray!

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I was reminded this morning in my Bible reading that it pays to seek the Lord’s help and guidance when faced with a crisis! This is an important principle during times of national (and international) crisis and leaders would do well not to forget it. But it is also important during times of personal emergencies! Here is one instance of the truth from the Bible…
 
Sennacherib had invaded Judah. He sent the Rabshakeh, a high-ranking Assyrian military officer, with an intimidating message of threat to Hezekiah, his leaders and the people of Judah. He blasphemed Jehovah and treated him as just another object of worship among the other nations Assyria had defeated. It was a time of national crisis… Assyria was the originator of military principle of “shock and awe” and was known for its cruel treatment of those it sought to vanquish.
 
Hezekiah received a threatening letter from the Rabshakeh… “He read it and went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: ‘Oh Lord of hosts, God of Israel… You are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth! Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the Living God… Now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone are the Lord!’ …
 
“Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: BECAUSE YOU HAVE PRAYED TO ME concerning Sennacherib, king of Assyria, this is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him… He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord! For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David!’”
 
And the result? Supernatural deliverance! “And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians! And when the people arose early in the morning, behold these were all dead bodies. Then Sennacherib, king of Assyria departed and returned home… And as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword.” (from Isaiah 37… read it for yourself.)
 
Hey, it pays to pray! We need to pray!!!
Feb 11 2016
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Devos

Hope… How does a Christian get it?

I just finished having “coffee with the Lord” this morning… Had a wonderful time of fellowship with Him in His word.  I’m just relishing a wonderful “blessing” I read that was given by Apostle Paul to the followers of Jesus in Rome.  (I have to admit, as a follower of Jesus myself, I claimed it as my own as well!)  Here it is…

Apostle Paul said, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope!” (Romans 15:13)

Now let me unpack the truth in that blessing a bit…

First of all, there is a vast difference between “hope” as the broader culture understands it today and the Bible’s perspective on “hope!”  Hope for most people today is what you longingly, and fervently wish would happen… It may not happen, but you want it to happen – in fact, it would be wonderful if it did happen.  That is NOT the biblical understanding of “hope!”  The Bible presents “hope” as a confident expectation…  For the believing Christian, “hope” is what is going to happen!  God promised!  Which leads to the next observation…

Apostle Paul said the “joy and peace” that comes along with “believing” comes from “the God of hope!”  God’s character is on the line!  He promised what is hoped for – and He will deliver on His promise.  The confident expectation is tied to God’s faithfulness!  He never fails!  All the promises of God find their emphatic “YES!” in Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:20)  And the result in our lives? … “Joy and peace” as we put our trust in Him… Hey, He promised it… it’s going to happen, regardless of the circumstances!

And it doesn’t happen because we clinch our fists, work up our trust-emotions, or try muster all of our spiritual resources to try and claim it… Paul’s blessing says, “by the power of the Holy Spirit” we “abound in hope!”  In other words, God works it within us – the Holy Spirit is at work within to produce it!

Oh, I don’t know about you, but I’m claiming those words in the Bible as my very own today!  We live in a world where the attacks by our spiritual enemy, Satan, the evil everywhere around us, the pressures of life, and the circumstances we face, militate against “hope” (whether it is the Biblical kind or “hope” by the broader culture’s definition).  I’m so glad “the God of hope” out there, and the Holy Spirit within, are working to produce it in my life! … Aren’t you?  Me?  Today I’m going to “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and constant in prayer!” (Romans 12:12)

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