Weekly devotion 6/15/2010
Jul 13, 2010 Devotions
Ephesians 3:1
1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles…
Am I a prisoner of Christ? Have I completely surrendered all that I am, and all that I have to Him? The question is not, am I a prisoner? But rather, is my captor Christ?
Jeremiah found that God’s will for his life was no more voluntary than breathing. You may hold out for a bit, but eventually it was going to happen. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire …I was weary of holding it back, And I could not ( Jer 20:9). Jeremiah the prophet consumed God’s word like the spiritual food that it is, and was left with a burning desire in his heart to know and please the God of creation. Jehoiakim king of Judah, sat in his winter palace God’s word consumed by the fire in the hearth, for He had only a burning desire to please his own flesh (Jer 36:23). Both were prisoners of desire. Jeremiah living to obtain his desire would be pardoned and set free. Jehoiakim living to obtain his desire would die in bondage, empty and wanting. The deciding factor of course is what they did with God’s word. Jeremiah took it to heart and burned with desire to live it. Jehoiakim took it to the hearth and desired only to burned it.
Paul much the same as Jeremiah said, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! (1Cor 9:16) Paul stated that Both willingly and by necessity he preached the Gospel. In other words, he had surrendered to God, and this was God’s will. Paul prefaced his declaration that he was a prisoner with, “For this reason I, Paul…” Referring to the previous chapters where he explains his intimate knowledge of the mysteries of God. To know God and His great love, causes Paul to trust in Jesus no matter the circumstance or trial. This is the effective working of God’s power in our lives (Eph 3:7).
Has Christ so captivated my heart and mind that his will is my desire, without rival? Or do I have desires that would compete with truth, skewing my perception of who Jesus is, and what his will is for my life. When I am completely surrendered, broken and desiring only to know Him, only then am I truly captive to Christ. Peter put it so simply when he said “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John. 6:68). Even if Peter was offended and things didn’t make sense, for him there were no options, he trusted what he knew to be true and pressed on with Jesus. Is Jesus my source of strength, knowledge and inspiration. Is His word of truth and his Holy Spirit effectively working in my life accomplishing His will. If this is my desire, I am His prisoner.
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Jun 15, 2010 Devotions
Luke 17:11-19 documents an encounter Jesus had with ten men who were lepers. They cried out to Jesus for mercy desiring to be healed
Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
My desire is that I would live my life in gratitude for what Jesus has done for me, and out of gratitude be open to everything that he desires to do through me also. Glorifying God with a load voice brings to mind a scripture that states:
Psalm 19:1-4 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard.Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world…
Just as God’s creation in the world declares his existence in a way that transcends language barriers, His work of redemption in our life and creating within us a new heart accomplishes the same purpose, we are His handy work, created for good works in Him
