Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”- Isaiah 48:17

Daily Devotion:

Input & Output

"Teach what you learnt from me to trustworthy people who are able to pass it on to others also" (2 Tim 2:2)

I have heard many say, "I do not refer to any Bible study help or Commentary but learn directly from God." This may sound spiritual but this is not Scriptural. Paul instructed his disciple Timothy to "give attention to reading" (1 Tim 4:13). Because, "the priest's lips should keep knowledge; people would seek the Law at his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts" (Mal 2:7). God has placed "teachers" in the Church for its growth and edification (Eph 4:11). Teachers can be either heard or read. The only way to be benefitted from teachers of the past or of distant countries is to read their writings. My advice to preachers is, "Use Bible Commentaries and Study Bibles freely. No one prevents you from going beyond them. Read as much as possible. People should learn atleast a few new things everytime they hear you. Travelling time can be profitably used for reading. Your output from the pulpit depends on the input you receive from your study!"

Of equal importance to Bible meditation is prayer. There are three secrets for a successful ministry: Prayer, Prayer and Prayer. It is neither by intellectual might nor by monetary power but by God's Spirit that any true work of His is accomplished. It is possible to begin in the Spirit and end in the flesh. Jesus, who accomplished so much in three and a half years, never allowed work to crowd out prayer from His life. There is a freshness about a minister who keeps inhaling the fragrance of prayer. If we do not learn to carry our ministerial burdens to the Lord in prayer, we will be crushed by them and finally collapse. Prayer exchanges our heavy burdens for the light yoke of Jesus (Mt 11:28-30).

Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994) writes that a minister who is not praying is straying. Travelling is important but travailing even more. Preachers are in danger of asking the people to pray for them but often neglect personal prayer. Eagles fly high and in solitude. Those who wait on the Lord shall mount up with wings as eagles (Isa 40:31). To be much for God we must be much with Him. Poverty in prayer life will make a preacher pathetic on the pulpit. More prayer means more power; less prayer means less power; no prayer means no power!

Shut in with Thee far, far above
The restless world that wars below;
We seek to learn and prove Thy love,
Thy wisdom and Thy grace to know!

Prayer:

For Stewardship of Creation

O merciful Creator, thy hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature: Make us, we beseech thee, ever thankful for thy loving providence; and grant that we, remembering the account that we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of thy good gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“The earth is filled with your love, O LORD; teach me your decrees.”- Psalm 119:64

Daily Devotion:

Rules of the Game

"Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Cor 14:40)

We all are aware of the fractions of milliseconds which make or break a hundred meter dash Olympic record. Ben Johnson appeared larger than life when he brought billions of people to the edges of their seats, when they were watching him perform the miracle. But that did not last long. He was stripped of his gold on doping charges.

The Christian life is a race. Apostle Paul rightly said, "If anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules" (2 Tim 2:5). "The end justifies the means"— seems to be the spirit of the Christian ministerial world today. "Do anything, in any way, so long as it blesses the people and benefits the preacher!" This is totally alien to the teaching of Christ and His apostles.

The Christian ministry is compared to building construction also. The quality of the materials we have used in our building will be tested "on that day" by fire,even the Word of God (1 Cor 3:12,13; Jer 23:29). A new brand of preachers has come up, sanctifying all their methods and practices claiming, "God told me!" People who hear this are afraid to think further or discern. It has been clearly established that God never contradicts His written Word. Let us not forget the Scriptural principles while evolving fund-raising techniques and promotional methods.

Defection of Christian workers from ministries is another sad thing. The defectors should not be directly or indirectly encouraged by other ministries, without verification with the concerned leaders. Christian leaders should maintain high ethical standards. Remember the Tenth Commandment which says, "Thou shalt not covet anything that is thy neighbour's." Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you!

Leaders within an organisation as well as from other organisations must periodically come together for an honest and open-minded review of their ministerial methods and functional procedures in the light of the Scriptures. We must be bold enough to discord questionable things. Prophet Haggai repeatedly cried out, "Consider your ways!" (Hagg 1:5,7). We can be assured that God's work done by God's men in God's way at God's time will not lack God's support!

Let us seek the courage needed
Our high calling to fulfill—
That mankind may know the blessing
Of the doing of God's will! (Thomas A. Jackson)

Prayer:

The Lord Is Thy Keeper

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.The Lord [is] thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth,and even for evermore. - Psalms 121: 1-8