"...a man who takes up arms from the armory of grace and goes forth strong in the Lord and in the power of His might to contend for the faith."
I'm not sure that this is me. Why??? I'm not equipped enough. I don't want to get in trouble at work. I don't want to cause conflict. It's not the right time. It's not my fight. I'm not "called." and so on and so on.
Mar 27, 2012
It's your loss!!
Then He came a third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough!" Mark 14:41
If you're like me, you think that Jesus was upset with the disciples for falling asleep because they failed to keep watch while He prayed, but I was given a different more profound perspective while reading a devotional Experiencing God Day By Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby. Have you ever thought that the Lord was disappointed because the disciples failed to share a sacred moment with Him? Me either! Here's the devotional:
It is enough! How these words from the Master stung the disciples! They were given the opportunity to share a sacred moment with Jesus. They failed Him. This time, not even Peter had an answer for Jesus.
Jesus forgave them, and they went on to experience God working powerfully through their lives, but that unique moment with their Lord was lost. The angels had comforted the Savior on that lonely night as He prepared for the cross, not the disciples. Scripture indicates that the disciples later became diligent in prayer, but the memory of that night would remain with them for the rest of their lives.
Like the disciples, you receive unique opportunities to serve your Lord. There are times when Jesus will ask you to join Him as He is at work in the life of your friend, family, or coworker. If you are preoccupied with your own needs, you will miss the blessing of sharing in His divine activity.
God is gracious; He forgives, and He provides other opportunities. he will even use our failings to bring about good, but it is critical that we respond in obedience to every prompting from God. God does not need our obedience; He has legions of angels prepared to do His bidding when we fail Him. The loss is ours as we miss what God wants to do in our lives.
Respond immediately when God speaks to you. His will for you is perfect, and it leads to abundant life.
If you're like me, you think that Jesus was upset with the disciples for falling asleep because they failed to keep watch while He prayed, but I was given a different more profound perspective while reading a devotional Experiencing God Day By Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby. Have you ever thought that the Lord was disappointed because the disciples failed to share a sacred moment with Him? Me either! Here's the devotional:
It is enough! How these words from the Master stung the disciples! They were given the opportunity to share a sacred moment with Jesus. They failed Him. This time, not even Peter had an answer for Jesus.
Jesus forgave them, and they went on to experience God working powerfully through their lives, but that unique moment with their Lord was lost. The angels had comforted the Savior on that lonely night as He prepared for the cross, not the disciples. Scripture indicates that the disciples later became diligent in prayer, but the memory of that night would remain with them for the rest of their lives.
Like the disciples, you receive unique opportunities to serve your Lord. There are times when Jesus will ask you to join Him as He is at work in the life of your friend, family, or coworker. If you are preoccupied with your own needs, you will miss the blessing of sharing in His divine activity.
God is gracious; He forgives, and He provides other opportunities. he will even use our failings to bring about good, but it is critical that we respond in obedience to every prompting from God. God does not need our obedience; He has legions of angels prepared to do His bidding when we fail Him. The loss is ours as we miss what God wants to do in our lives.
Respond immediately when God speaks to you. His will for you is perfect, and it leads to abundant life.
Mar 23, 2012
I don't love Jesus like this...
Charles Hodge, professor of Princeton Theology until 1840. Students saw him shed tears in his classes when he talked of the love of Christ. A student once said of Hodge who was announcing a hymn in the Oratory: "As he read he came to the lines: 'That blood can make the foulest clean, that blood availed for me.' But Hodge could not read them, try as he would. 'That blood availed,'--he could not get beyond that. That strong man bowed before the storm of emotion, and, dropping into his chair, he buried his face in his hands."
Brothers, I am not suggesting you don't love Jesus enough if you don't cry while reading or singing hymns, but to be so overwhelmed by the love of our precious savior like this...I will just say that I pray that I come to a relationship with Jesus that causes me to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of His love when I think about that love...EVERY TIME I think about His love.
The above quote is a quote from a book In Pursuit of Purity by David O. Beale. If you've never read about Fundamentalism, you should check it out.
Brothers, I am not suggesting you don't love Jesus enough if you don't cry while reading or singing hymns, but to be so overwhelmed by the love of our precious savior like this...I will just say that I pray that I come to a relationship with Jesus that causes me to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of His love when I think about that love...EVERY TIME I think about His love.
The above quote is a quote from a book In Pursuit of Purity by David O. Beale. If you've never read about Fundamentalism, you should check it out.