Separated From the World

Romans 1:1

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Paul points out three things about himself as he addresses the Romans.  These three things apply to all Christians.  1. We are called to be servants of Jesus Christ.  2. We were all called to some specific purpose for which God created us.  3. We are all separated unto the gospel of God.

How are we doing compared to Paul?

Point 1 - Check...get that.

Point 2 - Check...on the journey of discovery.

Point 3 - Hmmm?

For Christians, "separated unto the gospel of God" is where the rubber meets the road.  We must realize that the redemption that we have received through the grace and mercy of Almighty God has separated us from who we were.  We are now righteous because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf.  We are proclaimers of the Good News through our spoken words and our living testimony.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help us to abandon our old lives.  Help us to understand the fullness of the redemption that You have provided us through Your Son.  Give us the courage and the strength to proclaim our Good News to those that you have placed in our lives.  May the world see that we have been separated unto You, Lord.

Speak to Me, Lord

John 13:16

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.

We must train ourselves to listen for God's voice in our lives.  Listening to God is an acquired gift.  It is a byproduct of discipline and obedience.  We must set aside time to tune into God's voice.  The tuning comes from setting aside time for reading the Word, prayer and meditation on the Word and personal praise and worship.  When we are obedient in the small things, God will reveal Himself to us in all aspects of our lives - both big and small.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, speak to us.  Open our ears so that we can hear you at all times.  Help us to overcome the distractions of the world so that Your voice is not drowned out.  Strengthen us so that we can be diligent in the small things that we need to do to prepare ourselves to hear your voice.

Who Are You Lord?

Acts 26:15

Then I asked, “Who are you, Lord?”

God has placed this question in all of our hearts.  When we come to a time in our lives when we are challenged to ask the question, He responds with an answer that convicts of our ignorance and our weakness.  He shows us the way, the truth and the life that is in His Son, Jesus.  He shows us a void in our hearts that can only be filled by accepting the His Son as Our Savior.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we pray that you will open our eyes to the way, the truth and the life that is in Your Son, Jesus.  Reveal to us the depths of our ignorance.  Give us the strength and the wisdom to give up our own convictions and delight in doing Your will in our lives.

A Double Portion of Fervor

Acts 9:4

He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?"

Just like Paul, as Christians we have all faced the day when the Lord challenged us.  Just like Paul, Our Lord had grounds to accuse us.  Perhaps not of persecution, but He certainly had grounds to rebuke us for the obstinacy and self-will of our sinful nature.  

Just like Paul, we all decided to denounce our old lives and accept our calling as disciples of Jesus Christ.  Unfortunately, unlike Paul, most of us have not taken our calling with the same fervency that Paul did.  We have allowed our own plans to overshadow God's plans for our lives.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we pray that we will not be directed by our own ambitions, but be led by Your Holy Spirit.  May Your strength be perfected in our weakness.  May you grant us a double portion of Paul's fervor for proclaiming Your Good News to the world.

The Fullness of Jesus Christ

John 1:16

And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

There is nothing more complete, more sufficient or more perfect than the fullness of Jesus Christ.   To borrow from the teachings of Charles Spurgeon, the fullness of Christ is reflected in His Diety, His manhood, the atoning power of His Blood, His righteousness, His power over death and His endless grace to pardon, to regenerate, to sanctify, to preserve and to perfect.  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we pray that You will open our hearts to receive the fullness of Your Son.  Show us how to tap into the inexhaustible treasure that holds all that we will ever need.

The "Much More" that God Promises

Matthew 6:30

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith?

We have allowed the cares of the world to come in and we have lost our faith in the "much more" that God promises us.  We have followed the world's lead and put our faith in our own independence.  We have tried to satisfy ourselves in all the things of the world, complicating our lives to the point that we cannot be satisfied.  Why not seek the simplicity and satisfaction of the "much more" that is ours to claim from the One who never breaks His promises?

Prayer,

Heavenly Father, we pray that you will help us break the worldly appetites that are impossible to satisfy.  Help us, Lord, to seek and find the living water that will completely quench our every desire.  Help us to seek You, Lord.