THOSE WHO ARE CALLED AND THOSE WHO ARE CHOSEN

Did you know that all who have come under the protection of our Lord Jesus Christ have been called into ministry? It is God's will to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached to every tribe and every nation. When Isaiah received his call, he was in the presence of God and heard Him say "Who shall we send?" He did not say, Isaiah, will you go. But Isaiah whose heart was sensitive to the Lord said "Send me, I will go." That's the way it is in the church also. Jesus says on two occations "The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few." Another time He says "Many are called, but few are chosen." How about you? Do you value your own salvation enough to tell it to others or is it all about you? There are no legitimate objections. Some will say when I read the Bible in a year or other excuses that sideline the gospel. But to the chosen they will say "Send me."

Daily Prayer: Father, bring to our minds the great gift we have in our salvation and it cost You so much. Let us not relax, but acquire a zeal to tell others. Give us the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. By Your Spirit, give us the words to say and the boldness in which to say them. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

When We Gain Understanding

So many people wonder why God does what He does. We try to understand every circumstance of our lives and what God means by it. God often times leaves these questions unanswered, but makes a sure commitment to our soul. When Jesus spoke in parables, even His disciples needed to have them explained. They didn't really understand Jesus until after the ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit. We need to be alone with God. We need for Him to speak and for us to listen. Next time when you pray, try meditation of silence and allow God to speak to you through the Spirit.

Daily Prayer: Father, forgive us for occupying all of our time on petitions about things You already know that we need. Help us to be like Isaiah who realized he is a man of unclean lips. Let us close our mouths and open our hearts and our spirit to receive whatever is good and pleasing in your eyes. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

God Confronts Us About Our Biggest Problem - Pride

People have a tendency to rationalize both the heights and depths of our character. We want to believe that things aren't too bad and not as serious as they seem. The basic problem is we believe that its all about us and not about God. It is not until we deal with pride that God's grace can have its sway in our life. God deals with this by getting alone with us concerning our self centeredness. He reveals the deep dark places of our soul and reveals their full affect on our life. God explains that He sent His Son and by Him will will find life and not die. His presence is constant, seeking to break us of dependance on ourself, so that we trust in Jesus alone apart from any self-goodness.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, break us of our confidence in our own self. Help us to admit to the seriousness of our problem. Help us to accept the lot You have for us, even if it is not what we would have chosen for ourself. Finally, give us your peace over the matter so that we can once again live, but this time for You. In Your Holy name we pray Amen.

NOBODY CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS

Jesus was quoted as saying: "Nobody can serve two Masters. He will either love one and despise the other or despise one and love the other." This is the way it is when you make a decision to be a follower of Jesus. Every act of obedience to Him offends and takes away from someone else. This is part of what Jesus refers to as the high cost of discipleship. Also, by our own strength we cannot follow Jesus. It takes the divine work of the Holy Spirit to empower us to stay the course and to drink from His cup. Our only choice is that by His strength, we follow Jesus and let Jesus and the angels of heaven attend to the offendeed ones.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, give the Holy Spirit His way in my life. I know that though I desire to follow you with my lips, often times by my actions my heart is far from You. Forgive me Jesus. Transform Me by the power of the Cross so that I may serve You and bring others to know You as I do. In Your Holy name I pray Amen.

TWO GIFTS OF GOD'S GRACE

When a person becomes enlightened so that there is understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, this one is said to be converted. Converson, however, is not salvation. In salvation, the person needs to receive something..."so that they may receive the forgiveness of their sins." Once converted and saved and forgiven, then the second gift of grace "so that they may receive their inheritance among the sanctified" so that they give up their right to their self and indentify with the work and sufferings of Jesus Christ.

Searching & Protecting the Depts of Your Soul

The Psalmist was right when He asked God to be the God of the depts and the recesses of his soul. He knew that there was more to his being than his concious self. At Calvary, Jesus became the One to fulfill the Psalmist's request by knowing and guarding the human soul until the Day of His return.

What Delights God...

When Abraham offered Isaac for a sacrifice, he thought God would delight in his sacrifice. But we learn that God does not delight in a sacrifice of death. He desires that we die to our own self will and identify with His Good Will. By this then we may become a Living Sacrifice, holy and pleasing to the Lord.