Your Daily Devotional for June 30, 2007

 

June 30,  2007

 

 

Committed to an Open Witness

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

 

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

 

 

Yesterday we talked about how we must be committed to God. In a day when commitment is not very popular, God desires for us to be committed to Him and to His Word. While yesterday we looked at how we must be committed to showing God's mercy to others, we must make sure our witness is open for all to see.

 

We must live correctly so the lost will see Christ through us. Christ says in Matthew 5:14-16, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." God desires for our lives to show His light to others.

 

When we are committed to Christ in all that we do, our lives will witness to others of His love for them. There are some times when we cannot tell someone of Christ's love, but we can always show them Christ through our lives. We should not be ashamed of living for Christ, but we must commit to glorifying God in all we do so others will see Him through our lives.

 

Another reason we must live right is so those who are spiritually blind can see. There are people who are spiritually blind and are looking for answers. They are looking for answers from this world, but will not find answers until they turn to Christ. Satan has veiled the eyes of the lost of this world and leads them into destruction. He does not want them to see the glory of the Lord and know that He is the true answer. We must live with an open witness so even the spiritually blind of this world will see Christ.

 

Many years ago some men were panning for gold in Montana, and one of them found an unusual stone. Breaking it open, he was excited to see that it contained gold. Working eagerly, the men soon discovered an abundance of the precious metal. Happily, they began shouting with delight, "We've found it! We've found gold! We're rich!" They had to interrupt their celebrating, though, to go into a nearby town and stock up on supplies. Before they left camp, the men agreed not to tell a soul about their find. Indeed, no one breathed a word about it to anyone while they were in town. Much to their dismay, however, when they were about to return, hundreds of men were prepared to follow them. When they asked the crowd to tell who "squealed," the reply came, "No one had to. Your faces showed it!"

 

When we live according to God's Word and are committed to Him, our lives will show forth His light. Is your life telling others of Christ's love for them? Make sure your life is committed to God and purpose today to let others see Christ through you.

 

 

 

Daily Bible Reading

Job 17-19 • Acts 10:1-23

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Your Daily Devotional for June 29, 2007

 

June 29,  2007

 

 

Committment

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."

 

1 Corinthians 4:1-2

 

 

In our world today, it seems as if commitment is becoming a thing of the past. Many people are not fully committed to their sports teams, jobs, or their hobbies. Many times we as Christians move our loyalties and even our beliefs to accommodate ourselves more than our Saviour. Sometimes God is little more than a 911 number in our lives. But God does not wish to merely meet with us when we are in need. He desires for us to be committed to Him.

 

As we see in our verses today, our Christian lives should evidence loyalty or commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the center of our faith and we must center our lives around Him. He is committed to providing a home in Heaven for us and to provide for us daily, yet we are many times not very committed to Him. God desires that we be committed to Him in several ways.

 

First, we must be committed to showing Christ's mercy to others. First Timothy 1:13 says, "Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." Paul says that even though he was once a sinner, God saw fit to extend His mercy to him. When Christ saved us, He extended His mercy to us and forgave us of our sins. Christ desires that we walk in Him by showing His mercy to others. We must tell others what Christ did for them and of His love for them. We must show mercy to others as we have a committed walk with God.

 

Not only should we be committed to show others Christ's mercy, but we must be committed to the Word of God as well. Second Corinthians 2:17 says, "For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ." We must stay faithful to God's Word and its teachings. The devil will many times try to pull us away from God's Word, but we must remain committed to the Word of God.

 

Former President Teddy Roosevelt once said, "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." There will be people who seek to test our commitment to God. They will strive to pull us away from walking with God, but we must remain committed to Him. We must commit to walk with God no matter what comes our way.

 

Are you committed to God? Are you faithfully telling others of Christ and remaining faithful to God's Word? Spend time with God right now and commit to walking with Him no matter what comes your way today.

 

 

 

Daily Bible Reading

Job 14-16 • Acts 9:22-43

 

 

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Your Daily Devotional for June 28, 2007

 

June 28,  2007

 

 

Focusing on Others

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

 

James 1:27

 

 

Yesterday we saw that an authentic Christian cares about the things of God. They care about spending time in God's Word and obeying Him as well. Today we will see that authentic Christians not only care about the things of God, but they care about other people as well.

 

As Christians we are to care for others. We see in our verse today that God describes pure religion as caring for those in need. A true Christian sees the needs of others and helps them. They do not focus on themselves and their own needs but look for others whom they can help.

 

There was a little boy who asked his father, "Daddy, what is a Christian?" The father thought for a moment and then replied, "A Christian is a person who loves and obeys God. He loves his friends, his neighbors, and even his enemies. He is kind and gentle and prays a lot. He looks forward to going to Heaven and thinks that knowing God is better than anything on this earth. That, son, is a Christian!" The little boy took a couple of moments to contemplate what his father had said, and then asked, "Daddy, have you ever seen a Christian?"

 

Many times we can get so caught up in "living" like a Christian that we fail to be Christians. We can attend church, read our Bible, pray, and "do" everything a Christian is supposed to do but if we are not loving others and seeking to meet their needs, we are not obeying God. God tells us that we are to care for the needs of others.

 

Not only are we to care for others, but we are to encourage others as well. We may not always know what someone is going through, but as we seek to encourage others, God will lead hurting people across our paths.

 

Someone once said, "You never know if the person you meet is fighting a harder battle than you." We all have difficulties and struggles, but there are people who are struggling more than we are! That is why we must seek to encourage others even when we do not feel like it. God doesn't command us to only care for and encourage others when we feel like it, but we are to encourage others all the time. When we focus on others instead of ourselves, it will be easy to encourage them.

 

I once read the story of an elderly widow who was restricted in her activities but was eager to serve Christ. After praying about this, she realized that she could be a blessing to others by playing the piano. The next day she placed this small ad in the Oakland Tribune: "Pianist will play hymns by phone daily for those who are sick and despondent—the service is free." The notice included the number to dial. When people called, she would ask, "What hymn would you like to hear?" Within a few months her playing had brought cheer to several hundred people. Many of them freely poured out their hearts to her, and she was able to help encourage them.

 

We do not have to do something great to encourage other people. It is often the little things that mean the most to people—the encouraging note, the plate of cookies, or the email that tells them you're praying for them. Are you focusing on others and seeking to care for and encourage them? Ask God to help you focus on others today and purpose to encourage at least one person today.

 

Daily Bible Reading

Job 11-13 • Acts 9:1-21

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Your Daily Devotional for June 27, 2007

 

June 27,  2007

 

 

An Authentic Christian

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."

 

James 1:22-25

 

 

Webster's Dictionary defines the word authentic as "being what is represented or claimed to be." Sometimes in our day, it's hard to find products or even relationships that are authentic. We seem to live in an imitation, general brand day and age. Yet, the Word of God calls us to live an authentic Christian life.

 

An authentic Christian must first be authentically born, by faith, into the family of God. First John 5:1 says, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him." Beyond conversion to Christ there will also be attributes or fruit that reveal a new nature. There are ways to tell whether a person is an authentic Christian or not. Today, we will see that an authentic Christian cares about the things of God.

 

So many people today have an "I don't care attitude." They don't care about the Word of God, the people of God, and their testimony for God. But an authentic Christian, one who is walking according to God's Spirit, does care!

 

An authentic Christian cares about pleasing God. These Christians care about the things of God and they desire to please God. Many Christians today desire to live only for themselves and do not care for the things of God. But an authentic Christian desires to honor and glorify God in all they do. They care about God's reputation and they care about pleasing Him.

 

Also, an authentic Christian cares about God's Word. They desire to read God's Word and learn more about Him. Even though their day may be hectic, an authentic Christian makes God's Word and spending time with God important in his life. He knows the importance of God's Word and he seeks to make God a priority before his other earthly duties. He cares about spending time with God.

 

Not only does an authentic Christian read God's Word, he also obeys God's Word. He understands that God's Word has the answers he needs in life, and he opens his heart to God as he reads His Word. He does not read it simply as duty, but rather, he heeds God's commands and obeys His Word. He cares about not only hearing the Word of God, but doing it as well.

 

Are you an authentic Christian? Do you care about pleasing God, spending time in His Word, and obeying Him? If we are true Christians, we will care enough to obey God. Ask God to help you be an authentic Christian today. Read God's Word right now and let Him work in your life today.

 

 

 

 

Daily Bible Reading

Job 8-10 • Acts 8:26-40

 

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