Saturday, March 8, 2008
The Hard Truth about Hearing
"The person that has {something} will receive more. But the
person that does not have {much} will lose even the little
amount he has."
-- Mark 4:25 (ERV)
KEY THOUGHT:
Jesus wants us to know that as we apply ourselves to listening to him,
he is still active in the communication. He will help us understand
more! But, we must be open to his teaching. We must be willing to
listen, hear, and apply his message to our lives. But if we are sloppy,
disinterested, or hard-hearted toward the message of Jesus, what little
we understand will be stripped away from us. There is an urgency to our
hearing the Master. Two raindrops can land inches apart on either side
of the Continental Divide in the U.S. and one will ultimately end up in
the Pacific Ocean and the other in the Atlantic Ocean. Listeners to
Jesus' message can also end up worlds apart based upon their desires to
be open to his teaching. We have a tremendous responsibility and
opportunity to listen to Jesus! Our commitment to do so greatly
determines the ultimate destination of our lives.
TODAY'S PRAYER:
O Father God, Lord of heaven and earth, help me hear. Even more, dear
Father, create in me a hunger to hear the truth of Jesus. Open my heart
to your Son's message. Strip from me the barriers that would keep me
from being attentive. I want my life to be shaped by the words of your
Son. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Subject: Daily eDevo from DiscoverGod.com
Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:00:25 -0600
Liberated
"But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23).
At the conclusion of one of my lectures in Portland, Oregon, a man came rushing down the aisle. "This is the greatest thing I have ever heard in my life!" he began. "Today I have been liberated!"
This man was a prosperous business executive who sat on twelve boards of various Christian organizations. He exclaimed, "I have been trying to serve God so diligently that I practically ignored my business and my family. I have been trying to serve God in the energy of the flesh. I understand now why I have been so miserable."
We all want to live the supernatural life. We desire to think supernaturally, to plan supernaturally, to pray supernaturally, to love supernaturally, and to let our lives in every way be living proof of the supernatural power of God. Why, then, do we too often fail? Why do we keep returning to the futile limitations of the sinful nature?
The answer is in our refusal to yield to the person and filling of the Holy Spirit. Instead, we are filled with worldliness which I believe is at the root of virtually all Christian failure. It is absolutely essential that we learn to let God live supernaturally within us.
No wonder so many have come to me over the years, expressing amazement at how different their lives became with this discovery.
No more prolonged spiritual emptiness! No more of the frustration of empty religion! No more of the despair of trying to live the Christian life through self-effort..
YOUR VIEW OF GOD REALLY MATTERS...
Have you been liberated? Do you experience joy, or is each a day a burden? Are you internally at peace, or in turmoil? The key to living the Christian life is not mere moral discipline. It is to allow God's Spirit to live through you, each and every moment.
Additional reading: Acts 1:8; Acts 4:8; Acts 6:5; Acts 11:24; Ephesians 5:18.
Because God is all-powerful...
He can help me with anything.
Adapted from Supernatural Thinking, by Bill Bright.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation.
