Your Daily Devotional for March 31, 2006

March 31, 2006

 

The Process of Christian Growth

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”

John 15:2

 

Once someone accepts Christ as his Savior, God says that His will is that he would begin to grow. To grow, we must first be in Christ. Two specific ways of growth are purging and abiding. Purging removes the impurities from our lives. The Father is the husbandman, which means He has authority over the branches and is capable of helping us to grow in the Christian life. He will lovingly prune our lives that we may bear more fruit.

 

The goal of God’s purging and pruning in my life is to clean and purify my life of wrong motives and sin that would hinder the testimony of Jesus Christ. Sometimes God will clean us through His Word. John 15:3 says, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” God also purifies our lives through trials. The Bible says in Hebrews 12:5, “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him.” When trials come, many Christians quit attending church or reading the Word of God because they are unable to face what is going on. God says,”For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Hebrews 12:6)

 

A few years ago, I called a pastor friend and was telling him about some problems and trials I was having. It was difficult to share these things with him. At the end of the conversation, he said, “Just hearing these problems you have been having, Brother Chappell, makes me so happy.” I thought, “My problems make you happy. Why do my problems make him happy?” I will never forget what he said next, “God wouldn’t allow this purging and these trials into your life unless He was going to allow you to bear more fruit as a Christian.” Pruning is a process whereby we are disciplined to become more like Christ and to conform to the image of Christ and to follow the ways of Christ. Pruning will make a way for us to have greater growth in the future.

 

The second way to grow is by abiding in Christ. The word “abide” means to remain with Him. The problem with most Christians today in America is that we want instant gratification. We want to pray once and have it answered. God does not always work this way. God wants people who remain in Him daily.

 

The Bible likens the Christian life to being planted by a river of water. “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:3) If you want to grow in Christ, then be faithful to the Word of God, faithful to the house of God and daily abide with Jesus Christ.

 

If you will abide in Christ and allow Him to purify your life you will be, “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:7) Your life will be marked by growth, and your faith will become strong in the Lord. You will not only abound with fruit, but also with thanksgiving to our wonderful Heavenly Father.

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Your Daily Devotional for March 30, 2006

March 30, 2006

 

The Purpose of the Christian Life

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”

(John 15:8)

 

The Lord has grafted us into Himself for a purpose. From the time we receive Christ as our Savior until the time He calls us home, He has a purpose for us here in this life. God has an ordained purpose for you, and that purpose is not that we would live as the Scriptures say, “henceforth to ourselves,” but that we would bear much fruit. This is not our fruit; it is the fruit of Christ – born of Christ, and brought about by His Spirit, through the vine, and to the branches.

 

The ultimate purpose of man is to glorify God through the fruit we bear. The secular humanist philosophy in our educational systems today teaches, “The chief end of man is man.” The Bible says that the reason we are here is to glorify our Creator. Thank God that through Christ we can bear fruit that glorifies our Father.

 

Spiritual fruit is an eternal fruit, and God wants us to bear much of it. What is this fruit of which we speak? You cannot bear this fruit until you are grafted in with the Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot receive His Spirit until you receive His Son. When a man receives Christ as his Savior, he receives God’s Spirit, and God’s Holy Spirit begins to bear fruit through you. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25)

 

Notice that it says “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…” It does not say, “the fruits of the Spirit.” It is not a list to check off when you have mastered one. All of these attributes are manifested in the life of a person that is controlled or filled by the Holy Spirit. Someone who is allowing Christ’s life to flow through them and is yielding to the Spirit will evidence that Spirit-filled life. It is the fruit that only God can bring.

 

A lady some time ago said, “My husband can be so nice when he wants to be, but he just never wants to be.”

 

That is how we are in our fleshly nature. We just do not want to do what is right. It takes God’s Holy Spirit flowing through us to bring about this fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” God’s purpose for our lives is that we would bear much fruit – spiritual fruit, the kind that is only born because of Him.

 

Are you walking in the Spirit each day? Are you glorifying God through the fruit you bear? If you are, then you are experiencing the purpose God has for your life.

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Your Daily Devotional for March 29, 2006

March 29, 2006

 

The Subtlest of Enemies

By Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

Colossians 2:8

 

One day while I was out soulwinning, I saw a sign at someone’s front gate that read “beware” and there was a picture of a dog on it. My partner bravely opened the gate, and started walking up to the door, but before he could knock, the biggest, ugliest, meanest-looking dog came bounding up the steps. It was only by the grace of God that he came out of that yard unscathed.

 

Friend, “beware” is a serious word. The Bible warns us to be on guard against those who would like to confuse us regarding what we believe. Today’s verse speaks of spoiling; the word means to “carry away.” The philosophies of this world war against the truth of Christ. Men in their own wisdom think they know more than God knows. Do you know that the power of positive thinking is opposite to what the Bible teaches? God’s Word tells us to humble ourselves, not to promote or glory in ourselves.

 

The force behind temptation and spoiling is the devil. Genesis 3:1 says, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.” The Apostle Paul also exhorts us in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

 

The devil never stops working. He wants to take every believer out of the race. He does not want any of us finishing our course. He will do everything in his power to derail us and to cause us to stumble. Satan has a whole slew of tricks up his sleeve. He works so subtly that oftentimes, we don’t even realize that we’ve gotten off track. How many of us have been hooked by peer pressure? How many of us can honestly say we haven’t been tempted to climb the corporate ladder at the expense of family, or be blinded by the power of money? Years ago, someone said to me, “If you have money, that is good; if money has you, that is bad.” 1Timothy 6:9 says, “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.”

 

It burdens my heart when God’s people are flippant about spiritual matters. It burdens my heart when Christians are up one minute and down the next, not sure if they love the Lord, not being faithful in their church attendance. They that waver in their doctrine are Satan’s easy prey. Satan knows that he can never take away our salvation, so he will use various techniques to render us useless for Christ. If he can’t get you one way, he will try to get you discouraged through some other means.

 

We need God’s power to be able to withstand the wiles of the enemy. Let’s ask the Lord to be our strength as we go through our day.

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Your Daily Devotional for March 28, 2006

March 28, 2006

 

There is Always Victory in the Lord

by Pastor Paul Chappell

 

“And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?”

Mark 14:37-38

 

As we talk about Victory in Jesus, the very term victory captures our attention. We live in a success oriented society. Everybody loves a winner and everybody wants to be on the side of victory. It is often forgotten that the path of ultimate victory may include a few interruptions and failures along the way. The Christian who remembers that failure is not final is wise.

 

One man who could testify that he had to experience failure before he could know real victory and blessing was the apostle Peter. Peter’s failure finally brought him to the place where he could experience victory in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Peter’s spiritual regression began with the spirit of pride in his life. If you will recall in Matthew 26:31-33, Jesus said to His disciples that all shall be offended because of Him but Peter proudly “answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.” Peter developed a pious attitude. He thought he could stand with his own charisma. He thought he could make it with his own vim and vigor. Peter said, “When everyone else fails I’ll be faithful, standing here right next to You!”

 

We see that Peter’s pride and presumptuous spirit led to his prayerlessness. When Jesus sweat as it were great drops of blood in the garden, He prayed, “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” (Mark 14:36) After just one hour of prayer He came down “and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?” (Mark 14:37) As Jesus prayed, Peter slept. Similarly, pride causes many Christians to feel like they don’t need to pray. Prayer involves humbling ourselves before God and confessing our need for Him--a difficult task for the proud Christian.

 

This regression of Peter’s spiritual life went from pride to presumptuous, to prayerlessness. The final step for Peter was at the fires of the world where he denied his Lord. We thank the Lord though that the story does not end here.

 

Although Peter had failed, he would find true victory through a heart of repentance towards the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says in the last part of Mark 14:72, “...and when he thought thereon, he wept.”

 

Like Peter, pride can come into the life of a Christian unknowingly and cause him to follow the Lord afar off. This is when we need to repent unto the Lord and turn to Him to restore our fellowship. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” (II Corinthians 7:10) Until someone senses godly sorrow for whatever stage of regression they might be in, there can be no restoration and victory in their life.

 

Peter, who just days before seemed to have every reason to give up and to declare his own failure, would soon stand and deliver one of the greatest messages ever preached on the day of Pentecost. Three thousand souls accept Christ and are baptized on this day. Why? – Because a failure named Peter humbled himself and returned to the Lord with a heart of repentance and enabled God to use him. Failure is not final. There is always victory in the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Your Daily Devotional for March 27, 2006

March 27, 2006

 

The Establishment of the Family

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Genesis 2:18, 21-24

 

The Holy Bible, which dates back to the early moments in the history of mankind, records the beginning or the founding of the family. Genesis 2:18 states, “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” This reference just happens to be the life verse of many young men at our Bible college! Perhaps for many of us fellows, it was our life verse at one time also.

 

God determined, according to His divine understanding, that Adam, the first man, was not complete by himself. The Bible says in verse twenty-one, “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof.” This was the first record of anesthesia in world history—no pumps, machines, or computers were necessary—simply the mighty hand of God.

 

The first wedding ceremony is chronicled in Genesis 2:22, which says, “And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” God the Father brought the bride and the groom together in the garden of Eden. What a beautiful wedding it must have been!

 

The Bible tells us that when Adam saw Eve, he said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” In other words, Adam was saying, “Wow! I like what I see!” Adam was glad that God had given Eve to him.

 

This passage in Genesis concludes with the institution of the family. Verse twenty-four states, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” God designed and instituted the home to be a place where God’s love is modeled and the next generation is mentored in the Christian faith.

 

As you read this beautiful story of the first wedding, consider God’s purpose for marriage and the Christian home. Does your marriage reflect the love of God? Are you obeying the commandment to leave others and cleave only to your spouse? The home was the first institution designed by God. Before we involve ourselves in other relationships and activities, let’s purpose to model God’s love in our homes today.

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Your Daily Devotional for March 26, 2006

March 26, 2006

 

Genuine Versus Counterfeit

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

John 15:5

 

A newly-hired bank teller, during her training course, asked her supervisor, “How could you tell if money is counterfeit?” The supervisor answered, “There’s no training for that. Instead, what we’ll have you do is work with the real stuff day after day after day. You’ll be handling real money day-in and day-out, so you’ll be an expert in what the genuine article feels like. When the time comes that counterfeit money comes your way, you’ll know it’s fake just from its texture and feel. It won’t be like anything you’ve been accustomed to handling.”

 

How do we develop spiritual discernment? How will we be able to detect the genuine from the counterfeit? By staying in God’s Word. If you’re immersing yourself in reading your Bible and committing verses to memory, if you diligently study its truths and precepts, you will be able to discern if an issue is doctrinally sound, or if it is diametrically opposed to God’s truth.

 

Staying in God’s Word not only sharpens one’s spiritual discernment, it also produces godliness in the believer. Abiding in Christ is the source of our righteousness. Righteousness is not found in a list of dos and don’ts; it is rather found in a deep abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. In our flesh, we cannot please God. We must abide in Him to grow into the godly Christians He wants us to be.

 

Years ago my wife Terrie gave me a great Christmas gift. It was a Black and Decker electric screwdriver. I was so excited to use it! So I plugged it into this little charger and plugged it into the wall. One afternoon after work, I came home to find that the tool had been knocked from its charging case, but I tried to work with it anyway. Much to my disappointment, the screwdriver only made two turns and then died on me. There was no power in the tool because it was not plugged into the power source. We have a lack of righteous living because we don’t abide in Christ. The ability to live the Christian life apart from Christ is absurd. It is outright impossible!

 

To live godly lives, we must also recognize that we must abide in the Spirit. Galatians 5:24-25 says, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

 

So how can we apply discernment in this day of wickedness, false religion, and false teachers? The answer lies in staying true to our Lord and His Word. Friend, we must learn to test everything by what the Bible says before we place our affection on something or someone that would pull us away from Christ!

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Your Daily Devotional for March 24, 2006

March 24, 2006

 

Beware of Dogs!

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;”

2 Timothy 3:12-14

 

Let’s face it, there is no reasoning with an angry man.  It is vain and useless to talk sense to a man who’s bent on arguing and being contentious.  Our verse for today warns us to be on guard against heretics and false prophets.  Listening to and rubbing elbows with people who display an antagonistic spirit regarding God and the Scriptures can hamper our spiritual growth.  Matthew Henry once stated that false prophets are those who have malice against the work of Christ. 

 

Missionary Rick Martin in Iloilo, Philippines, once told the story of a rabid dog that killed at least three people and 37 other dogs.  In the same fashion, one false teacher can bite and kill!  One false teacher can undermine the doctrines we adhere to.  We are to withdraw ourselves from a person who rejects or denies Christ.  2 John 9-10 states, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.  He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed.”

 

I know of a student in one of our city’s public schools who wanted to date an unsaved guy.  She was convinced that she would be able to lead him to Christ.  Tragically, the opposite happened.  The guy took her away from her walk with the Lord, and led her into a difficult lifestyle.  Philippians 3:2 cautions us to “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.” 

 

The Bible also admonishes us to be careful in dealing with a disorderly brother.  “Disorderly” means out of rank.  A person may be saved, but may be living a life that doesn’t reflect an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ.  If a brother or sister in Christ refuses to walk as he or she ought to walk, we should not let this diminish our own devotion to the Lord.  In fact, 2 Thessalonians 3:6b is a command to “withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.”   Yes, we are to love them and pray that they’ll get over their sin or whatever spiritual issue they’re facing, but we are to make sure that it doesn’t put our own relationship with the Lord in jeopardy.

 

I sometimes get phone calls from parents of our high schoolers and college students telling me that they wish their kids would find “good friends.”  Nearness is likeness; make no bones about it.  We become like those we hang around.  We should ask God today to give us “Spirit eyes,” that we may be able to discern the wolves in sheep’s clothing.

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Your Daily Devotional for March 23, 2006

March 23, 2006

 

A Rewarding Grace

By Dr. Paul Chappell

 

Grace—no other word could best describe the working of God in the life of our church and in my life as a Christian. Year after year, day after day, God’s grace has sustained me in every situation. Whether I am flying down the hill of blessing or climbing slowly up the slope of struggle—God’s rewarding grace is always there.

 

Perhaps no other church in human history ever experienced the rewarding grace of God quite like the church at Jerusalem. The Bible records in Acts 2:41, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”

 

It is obvious that there was something very special about this church. God’s hand was upon them. Souls were being saved. People were being baptized. Lives were being changed. What was the reason for all of this? The Bible tells us in Acts 4:33, “...great grace was upon them all.” The answer is found in the grace of God. I hope that if someone were to write about your life’s history they would be able to say, “Great grace was upon his life.”

 

Notice three manifestations of the rewarding grace of God in the lives of His people. As you read these three demonstrations of grace, take a test, and see if they are present in your own life.

 

The grace of God caused the believers in Jerusalem to have a gracious spirit. The Bible says in Acts 4:32, “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul…” We hear of organizations that talk a lot about company unity, but this is not the unity the Bible is referring to in this passage. This unity was a result of the graciousness in their spirit.

 

The grace of God will also cause a believer to be a great soulwinner. Acts 4:33 says, “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” This church was so filled with the Holy Spirit and so yielded to His leading in their lives that they did not go anywhere without telling someone else about Jesus Christ. And you will know that you are filled with the Holy Spirit not because you speak in tongues, but rather, because you will tell others about Jesus everywhere you go. The grace of God was manifested in their desire to win souls.

 

There is no greater evidence of the grace of God in the life of a Christian than the evidence of generosity in their giving. Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave…” When God’s grace is at work in the heart of a believer, one of the manifestations is a giving spirit. 2 Corinthians 8:7 says, “Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”

 

The book of Acts records that people were becoming spontaneous in their giving. If you want a church like the first-century church at Jerusalem then be generous in your giving. It is often said that in most churches 20% of the people do 80% of the giving. What a tragedy! You will never experience the rewarding grace of God in your life until you first learn how to be generous in your stewardship.

 

The rewarding grace of God is seen through a gracious spirit, generous stewardship, and a desire to be a great soulwinner. How are you doing? Are you experiencing God’s grace in your life?

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Your Daily Devotional for March 22, 2006

March 22, 2006

 

Joseph--the Finisher

by Dr. Paul chappell

 

"And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt."

Genesis 45:3-4

 

Everyone faces crisis. Oftentimes, those crises are brought on by Satan himself as fiery darts against you, your family, and your faithfulness. The Devil is doing everything he can to cause people to get out of the race. He doesn’t want you to finish your race. He doesn’t want you to see that checkered flag. He doesn’t want you to cross the finish line.

 

If there ever was a man in the Bible who could have justified quitting, it was Joseph. Talk about a dysfunctional family! His brothers sold him into slavery. It would have been easy for Joseph to have said, “Well, I am the way I am because my family was messed up.” But he never blamed his family. Joseph, a man who had lived 110 years, never became bitter. Instead, he finished his course. He had a sweet spirit. He had a loving attitude. He had a passion for God.

 

How can we finish that way? How can we finish with that kind of a zealous testimony? I want to share with you some principles from Joseph’s life that I pray will help you and help me to finish our race.

 

Joseph never stopped trusting God. No matter what happened, no matter what the Devil threw at him; he never stopped trusting in and believing on God. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

 

Why did Joseph cross the finish line? Because he was a man who kept believing in God? Yes! He was a man who would not quit on God even when others quit. There was something else in Joseph’s life that made him a finisher and that was his forgiving spirit.

 

Joseph could have taken his brother’s lives. After all, they had tried to take his life. They had sold him into slavery, and they had wronged him. And that is the way many angry people in our culture today seem to handle their problems. They try to just get even. Sometimes by bringing harm to someone that has brought harm to them.

 

Listen to how Joseph responsed to his brothers, “...be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me...” (Genesis 45:5a) Can you hear his language of forgiveness? Though he had every right to be angry, instead, he chooses to forgive. Here we see the working of grace in the heart of a believer.

 

What do you do when someone wrongs you? What do you do when someone sends you an evil mailing or someone sends you an evil message? What do you do when someone at work says something bad about you? How do you handle conflict? When a family member criticizes your faith how do you respond? What are you supposed to do?

 

Well, if you want to finish, you must learn how to forgive. If you want to cross the finish line you need to learn how to trust God and give it to the Lord. Genesis 50 and verse 20 says, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good...”

 

God has a reason for what you are going through today. Don’t quit. Determine like Joseph to finish your race!

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Your Daily Devotional for March 21, 2006

March 21, 2006

 

Knowing Him

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel , [of ] the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
Philippians 3:5-10

Growing up in the church youth group we would often sing the song “His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord.” After 30 years as a Christian, I can honestly say He is more wonderful today than the first day I met Him!

Jesus is the preexistent Son of God Who voluntarily gave His life and shed His blood so that you and I might be rescued from our sin. Colossians 1:14 says: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins:” This verse reminds us of the great price Jesus paid to show us the love of God. Perhaps we would appreciate the significance of Christ’s sacrifice if we would remember the truth of Colossians 1:16: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, nor powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”

Think for a moment of the fact that the Creator of the world loves you, and gave Himself for you. He is the One Who will be worshipped by everyone on the earth at the last day, and will one day welcome every believer to Heaven.

A few years ago, my wife and I were staying at a Marriott Hotel. With our luggage in our hands, we walked around a corner to try and locate our room. Three men in business suits walked out of a room in the hallway in front of us and noticed that we were carrying heavy bags. One man, in a dark gray suit, helped open our door and held it open as we walked into the room. He then shook my hand and said, “Hello, I’m Bill Marriott.” Apparently, Mr. Marriott was there inspecting the facility which had recently been purchased. Boy, did we feel special having him open our door!

What an awesome thought that one day, every child of God will have the privilege of entering into Heaven and seeing Jesus Christ, the Son of God, face to face!

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Your Daily Devotional for March 20, 2006

March 20, 2006

 

The Joy of Harvest

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

"When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

Psalm 126:1-6

 

In this passage, we see that the Psalmist was rejoicing in the release of Israel from the captivity of Babylon. Although they had sown in tears for 70 years, they were now free to go back to their homeland they loved.

 

The Psalmist makes reference here to the effort and pain that is put forth in the sowing of crops. It is there, out in the field, that the laborer's persistence is tested. As the beads of sweat form on his brow from the scorching sun, he stoops to make indents in the dirt and plant the precious seed, carefully filling in the hole before he moves on to yet another. Although fatigue sets in and the muscles begin to ache, there is a determination in the planter's eyes and a purpose in his efforts.

 

Although there was pain in the sowing, the harvest was coming. Even though it seemed hard at the time to think that anything good could come out of the effort, when the harvest comes it will have been worth it all. The joy of harvesting the grain would be much greater than the sorrow of planting! It is because of this thought that the labor does not seem so hard.

 

There are times when planting seeds can be discouraging. The rain might not come when you desire it, the sun might scorch the new sprouts, and the birds might get into the crops. But when finally the fruit is collected, the joy the fruit brings is far more in proportion than the problems and troubles that entail the time spent in planting

 

Soul winning can be very discouraging at times. Witnessing to your neighbor, your co-worker, your friend.all of these can be stressful and frustrating. The truth is often refused. People do not want to hear what God has given them. Often the "seeds" of God's Word are dried up by lack of encouragement, eaten by other priorities, or wasted by the wrong understanding of the truth. The effort you put into leading a soul to the Lord might seem wasted.

 

But when Christ calls us home and the harvest is gathered, what a joy it will be to see the seeds you planted alive and well! What a blessing to see the souls watered with the gospel now in heaven because of what you were able to do and say through the grace of God! This makes the sowing worth it all.

 

When Christ comes back and gathers His children, will you have fruit to your account? Will you have the joy of knowing that God has used the seeds you have planted to bring forth the harvest? There is no joy in the harvest if nothing is planted. 1 Corinthians 3:7-8 says this: "So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour." Plant some seeds today and see what God can do to bring forth the increase. You will be glad that you did.

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