Devotion
Fight the Good Fight
Chipo Biti
As Christian, you should also realize that you have been sent to this earth to be a missionary. There are many lives out there that have not received Christ and the fate of their eternity is very dim. God has commissioned every single one of us to preach the gospel wholeheartedly as if the world will end tomorrow. We are to look at the world through eyes of compassion and treat the unbelievers as lost, never relenting in our mission to make sure that as many people receive salvation as possible. There is a heaven to gain and a hell to spurn. We need to let the love in our hearts compel us to pray for and preach to every single person on the earth who is yet to receive Christ.
That is the primary call upon our lives. To proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all who can hear. To live as children of God, expressing our authority of sons of God in order to glorify the name of God. The talents and skills that we have been blessed with will help us reach out to different people in different areas, but what matters the most is that we are using the gift of salvation that we have received to reach out to other souls out there who happen to be lost.
The apostle Paul was one of the most passionate messengers of the gospel in Christian History. He sacrificed as many life luxuries as he could to ensure that as many people as possible got to hear the good news of salvation. He was always travelling. He was beaten, jailed, mocked, and betrayed but none of those obstacles every stopped him from proclaiming the gospel. He faced death on many occasions but he refused to be shaken. He experienced shipwrecks, malnourishment, homelessness, embarrassment, but he remained relentless when it came to the things of God.
He encouraged all the believers he came across and he prayed for all of the churches too. By the time his death was nearing, he confidently said that he had fought the good fight of faith - and this was true. He remained in the faith, unwavering. Nothing could shake him from his faith in God.
Paul is responsible for the majority of the epistles in the New Testament. His heart was set on making sure that as many people received salvation as possible. That is where he drew his joy from.
Prayer
We need to follow the same example as the apostle Paul. Our hearts should be set on Christ first before we consider anything else. Because at the end of the day, the work that we do for God is what will count the most.
Devotion
The Important Things
Frances Taylor
What is important to you? This proverb tells us what is necessary if finding knowledge of God is what we are searching for. When this is compared to the search for silver or hidden treasures, we see how diligently the search should be. What we need to do first is to listen to God's word and to keep the commandments. If we look for wisdom with an understanding heart, we are on our way to finding God. But it seems as if not all roads will lead to this knowledge because we need discernment, we need to judge whether we are following the right path and with this comes understanding If we look carefully at this passage what we find is basically the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. The only things missing are fortitude or courage, and reverence or piety. We know today that these gifts are there for us if we choose to ask the Spirit for them. They are there for us from the moment of our baptism. These gifts are there for more than just the knowledge of God, ...
Morning Prayer
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Inspiration
Wickedness and anxiety can be crippling for any person, and fear is the primary cause of it: fear of meeting others, failure, not living up to expectations, saying the wrong thing, and death. God loves us. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. " (2 Timothy 1:7) With God ever behind us, our anxieties can melt away. Our fear shall be changed to love. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear. " (1 John 4:18) Believe in God, for all things are possible through him!
Prayer
Deliver me from evil my Lord! I will praise thy name! I aim to know thee and know that you will know my heart and thoughts. Lead me away from temptation merciful God, and lead me towards the path of the way everlasting. I submit myself to you, in any way that you see fit to use...
