Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.
--Jeremiah 15:16
Someone has said that true revival is all of Jesus getting all of me. And I think that’s a great definition!
But I wonder today how many people who call themselves followers of Christ can really say that all of Christ has all of them? How many can truly say that Jesus has absolute lordship over every area of their lives?
In the book of Nehemiah, we see that there are certain things that must happen in the life of a believer and in the Body of Christ for true revival to take place. And one of the most important elements is applying the Word of God to your life…letting it affect the way you think and live and breathe!
You know, I often wonder how much of what we know in our heads as believers really ever gets into our hearts and affects the way we live our lives.
When the people of Israel heard Ezra read God’s Word, they wept because they were convicted of their sin. They heard the Word, and as the Word was being taught, they were convicted of their sin and there was brokenness which led to true repentance.
Which leads me to a question today: When was the last time you read the Word of God and it made you think twice about your attitude or actions? When was the last time God’s Word convicted you of sin in your life?
So many Christians today…if they read their Bibles regularly at all…simply give it a cursory review. They don’t take the time they need to let the very words of God penetrate and impact how they think and live.
Today, it’s my prayer that you will give God time to let Him help you respond to His Word. It’s my hope that you will be able to say along with Jeremiah, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.”
Can you truly say that the Lord is Lord over every area of your life?
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.”
Psalm 126:1–4
According to a study done in 2012 by the Barna Group, 84 percent of non-Christians knew someone who professed to be a believer, but only 15 percent said the lifestyles of the Christians were noticeably different in a positive way. God’s plan is not for His children to blend in and be indistinguishable from the world, but for us to stand out. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
The reality is that the picture of God that the world has is largely formed, not from the revealed truth of Scripture, but from the lives of those who wear His name. And while we realize that not all professing Christians are truly believers, we must also recognize our responsibility to maintain a testimony and lifestyle that reflects glory and honor to our Heavenly Father. We do a great disservice to God and those around us when we drag the holy name we have been given through the mud by our conduct.
When Nathan confronted David over his sin with Bathsheba, the prophet pointed out that David had not just disgraced himself. “Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die” (2 Samuel 12:14). We must live up to the privilege of wearing God’s name.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Our lives should be so noticeably different from the world around us that they recognize God is at work.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment