Proverbs 31:18
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
(NIV)
This verse really emphasizes the true purpose of a lamp. If the sun is shining brightly, and your house has a lot of windows, there is no need for a lamp. Turning a lamp on at that point is a waste of energy, and you probably wouldn’t even notice that it was on.
The time that a lamp is needed is after the sun goes down. When you light a lamp in a dark room, there is no hiding it. As a matter of fact, even a small light can have that effect. I have been in a hotel room where the tiny red light on the smoke detector has kept me awake for hours!
The darker it gets, the more the light is needed. That is true in the spirit as well. We live in a dark society – spiritually speaking. And it seems to be getting darker and darker with each passing day. That tells me that there is a reason God has us here in this place, at this time in history.
So many people spend their lifetimes trying to find purpose. That should be no problem at all for the Christian. We are to shine the light of Christ wherever we are. That is our destiny. To light up the darkness of this world.
Therefore, I need to spend quality time in the presence of the Source of that light. If I am to adequately reflect Christ, then I need to abide in Him. Spend time with the Lord today. Let His joy, strength, and purpose flood your soul. Then allow His light to spill out to all those around you who need to come into His light.
Tags: Bible, bright, Christ, Christian, Christian witness, darkness, devotion, glory, Jesus Christ, lamp, light, presence of the lord, reflect, testimony, world
Exodus 27:20
“Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning.”
(NIV)
Hopefully, all believers want to be a light for Christ in this dark world. What trips us up is the fact that it doesn’t just happen. Left to myself I would do nothing worthy of the Lord’s glory.
It follows the same principle as in the verse above. If Israel wanted the lamps in the tabernacle to continue to burn brightly, they had to be tended to. It was not just a once a week task. Olives had to be picked and crushed for their oil. The oil had to be filtered for clarity. The wicks had to be changed when they had burned down. The oil level in the lamps needed to be monitored frequently.
In the same way, hearing a sermon and singing some songs once a week is not enough to keep us burning bright for the Lord. It is a daily task to tend to the needs of our spirits. We need the solid food of the Word of God. We need the living water of the presence of God. We need to be meditating on His Word throughout the day. These are the things that keep the lamp going.
As I said in my post yesterday, it is not my light that is shining. But that doesn’t mean I have no part to play. Unless the lamp is prepared, there will be no place in me for the light of Christ to ignite. Keep your lamp in good condition. Give the fire of the Lord a ready home to light up your world.
Tags: Bible, burning, Christian, Christian witness, darkness, devotion, glory, Jesus Christ, lamp, light, oil, prepare, presence of the lord, testimony, world
Psalm 18:28
You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
(NIV)
“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”
Sometimes children’s songs are the most profound. Notice how the song says I’m gonna let it shine, not I’m gonna make it shine. Simply put, I can’t be a light apart from Christ. He is the light of the world.
David said that it is the Lord that kept his lamp burning. It was God who turned his darkness into light. I am only a light as I reflect the light of Christ. As soon as I think it is my goodness lighting up the world around me, I plunge back into darkness.
I need to see myself as the moon. A great source of light and beauty at night. Yet none of it comes from its own glory. The moon only reflects the glory of the sun. In the same way we reflect Christ to the world.
When we take our eyes off of the Lord and begin to think we are so great, it is like a lunar eclipse. Our flesh starts to cast a shadow over the light. Depend upon God for your light today. Then you can be the lamp God intended you to be.
Tags: Bible, Christian, Christian witness, devotion, glory, Jesus Christ, light, presence of the lord, reflect, testimony
What is church all about? Why is it important to attend meetings?
Titus 1:4
To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
(NIV)
Many believers have a misconception of what the church is. They see it in a very self-centered way.
“I go to church because I like the praise and worship.”
“They have a great youth ministry.”
“I get a lot out of the preaching.”
While these are all good things to say about a church, ultimately, they are not the main reason for going. It is not all about what I get out of it that makes the church important to me. There is a higher purpose.
The Apostle Paul gives us some insight in his words to Titus. He calls Titus his son in their common faith. That speaks volumes to me. Son. The church is not just a collection of individuals who happen to meet together to sing some songs and hear a speech. Because of the blood of Christ imparted to us, we are now a family. The church is, in fact, a family get-together.
We must see the church as a family unit. A place where the bonds are more important than the individuals. Paul calls it their common faith. It is the family heritage. Have you ever heard someone say something like, “Everyone in my family has a temper.” Or maybe, “My family are all very giving people.” There is a common trait to some families. To those of us in Christ, it should be our common faith in the Lord.
The church is that place where we pick up and strengthen our family traits. We start to resemble the Lord as we meet together with His family. Don’t miss out on the family reunion. Be a part of the church God has called you to. Let our common faith be what the world sees in us.
Tags: Bible, Christian, church, common faith, devotion, faith, family, fellowship, unity
Luke 9:57-58
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
He had no corporate office. He had no house in the big city. He traveled almost the whole time during His ministry.
In some ways it is very difficult to live your life “on the road.” Jesus did it for three years. He understood the stress of always having to be on the move.
Spiritually speaking, if we serve the Lord, we can expect to be just like Him – to be constantly on the go. He does not want us to stagnate, but to press on toward the prize. To do that we must be always willing to change and to try new things as the Lord continues to call us forward.
This kind of life is forever bringing new challenges across our path. Each step of the way we are being drawn to deeper commitment, greater devotion, and higher callings. With each new opportunity for obedience comes a choice – to be satisfied with the old or to move on in Christ to the new. It is exciting following Jesus – but you have to keep moving.
Take the time today in your prayers to let the Lord know your willingness to move on with Him. If there is an area of your life where you have been resisting His change, then repent and commit to move on in obedience.
Tags: Bible, change, Christ, Christian, deeper, devotion, God's will, higher, Jesus Christ, moving forward, on the road
Psalm 18:31-33
For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.
There is nothing like the feeling you get when you stand on a high summit overlooking all of creation. It is like you are king (or queen) over all you survey.
It is God’s desire for us to be victorious in life. He wants us to stand on the mountaintop events of our lives and know the thrill of the moment. Realize that the Lord rejoices over our accomplishments.
But during those “peak” experiences – whether an actual mountain or some other achievement – we need to acknowledge the Lord as our source of strength. We must follow the example of the Psalmist. It is obvious that he knows the joys of victory. But he also knows where that victory came from. He gives credit and honor to God as the One who enables him to do these exploits.
Today – look back on your journey and praise God for His hand at work in you. It is He who gives you the strength and guidance that you need to make it to the tops of your personal “mountains.” Show Him your gratefulness for all He has done in your life. In that way you will be prepared for the victories yet to come.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, encouragement, God's faithfulness, gratefulness, mountain, mountaintop, overcoming, trust, victory
Ephesians 6:12 – For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
(NIV)
It would be so much easier if I could see my enemy. The fact is that there is no group that you can point to and say, “They are the enemy.” People and organizations are not the enemy.
We want to blame someone. “It’s their fault.” That’s not the attitude we should have. It is clear from Scripture that the enemy is unseen. There is a whole spiritual world that is just out of reach to our five senses. It cannot be felt or touched, yet it is just as real.
We also need to realize that this unseen world is organized. Actually it is more organized than the church. The enemy knows that the battle for souls goes on 24/7. We like to take breaks and holidays from the struggle. We think that because we did something special for God today, we can take the next few days off – “let our hair down” for a while. I believe that’s why the church in America seems to be so ineffective for the most part.
It is time for God’s people to take this unseen battle seriously. We need to begin living our faith the way God intended us to. We need to lift up the Word of God as an offensive weapon against the darkness of this age. It is time for the light of Christ to shine through us to set the captives free.
Be a part of God’s victorious church. Arm yourself for the unseen battle through prayer and the Word. It is time to strike fear into the heart of the true enemy – the unseen kingdom of darkness.
Tags: armor of God, Bible, Christian, devotion, enemies, light, overcoming, spiritual attack, spiritual battle, unseen, victory
Do you feel like a victim, like you’re the target practice for the world? That’s not God’s plan for you.
1 Peter 5:8 – Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
(NIV)
This verse gives us some insight into the strategy of our spiritual enemy. He hunts like a “roaring lion”. Lions are interesting hunters. Normally they are absolutely silent. You don’t see them until they are literally on top of you. A roaring lion is one who has gotten too old for that kind of hunting. He has lost some of his teeth. Younger lions move out in front of the prey, while the old toothless lion roars, and scares the prey so that they run right into the trap set by the younger ones.
This older lion then lets the young ones rip the prey apart, then eats the carved up pieces. That word devour, literally means to gulp down in one bite. The roaring lion is not looking for a fight. He doesn’t want to go one on one with the prey. All he wants to do is scare it into a trap.
This should speak volumes to us. Are you an easy prey for the devil? Do you run at the first sign of his attack? He is looking for someone with a victim mentality. The last person the devil wants to deal with is a Christian fully armed and standing on God’s Word.
Don’t just roll over and play dead. You are not the world’s doormat. You are meant to be victorious in Christ. Be strong in the Lord. Let the power of the Holy Spirit work in you. Stay in prayer and in the Word so that you are spiritually self-controlled and alert. Then you will not become the devil’s punching bag. Instead you can go on the offensive and free the oppressed from their bondage to sin. Be that champion God has called you to be!
Tags: armor of God, Bible, Christian, devotion, enemies, overcoming, problems, roaring lion, spiritual attack, spiritual battle, victory
2 Timothy 2:3-4 – Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he wants to please his commanding officer.
(NIV)
Hardship – no one likes the sound of that word. The fact is, living involves hardship. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you live. Even God, Himself did not promise us a life of ease if we would follow Him.
More than that, soldiers are trained to endure hardships that most people never have to face. I, personally, am so thankful to our armed forces for being in those front lines so that I can enjoy the freedom that most of us just take for granted. They live a life of hardship so that others can live securely.
Whether we want to hear it or not, we are in the front lines of a spiritual battle for the lives of those living all around us. In the same way that an American soldier must train for hardships, we need to be spiritually strong. We need to be built up in our faith and in the knowledge of God.
Don’t be like so many who wait for a spiritual attack to run to the Lord for help. Be ready at all times. Be strong and secure with your feet firmly planted in the Word of God. Be filled with His Spirit. Be armed and awake as a good soldier of Christ.
Tags: armor of God, Bible, Christian, devotion, enemies, hardship, overcoming, soldier, spiritual battle, victory
How would you like to receive an e-mail from Jesus, Himself? Wouldn’t that be awesome? There are so many hurting people in the world who would desperately love to hear from the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:3 – You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
(NIV)
The fact is, if you are in Christ, then you are that letter! The Lord has sent you out into a lost and dying world. You are to show His care and concern for those around you. It is clear from His Word that we are not to live for ourselves, but for His glory.
To many people, you are the only “Jesus” they will ever see. They will not read the Bible or hear the message of salvation in a church. It is only by your life that they will know that God loves and cares about them.
Because of this fact, it must be by the power of the Holy Spirit. That is the only way we can fulfill such a challenging call. To be a letter from Christ to the world! How amazing is that. I can think of a hundred more efficient ways that an all-powerful God can get His message across – but He chooses to use us, as imperfect as we are.
Be a part of God’s plan today. Be that love letter from God to the world around you.
Tags: Bible, calling, Christian, Christian witness, devotion, e-mail, glory, Jesus Christ, letter
The Spirit and the Word 