A Heart with Living Faith

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And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.” --1 Kings 18:36-39 Elijah was just a man like you and me. He had the same kinds of flaws and failures as the rest of us. In fact, he became so fearful and depressed on one occasion that he ran into the desert and prayed that he would die!  But you know what’s great about Elijah? Even though he was imperfect… even though he had his faults and failures… Elijah had an enduring faith that his God was alive. And because Elijah knew that God was alive, he wasn’t afraid of men or what men might do to him! Isn’t that great?! Wouldn’t you like to have the kind of faith that says, “I won’t be intimidated by anything or anyone… ever!”? Or the kind of faith that says, “It doesn’t matter what the culture around me says, I’m going to stand for the truth of God’s Word, regardless of the cost!”? Second Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” Christian, God is searching your heart today. And when He does, will He find a heart that’s full of a living faith? Will He find a heart that’s loyal and steadfast to Him? Maybe today you’d admit that you’ve been practicing a religion more than you’ve been enjoying a relationship with Christ. If so, I want to encourage you… Jesus Christ is alive! And He wants to have a deeper relationship with you! Today, it’s my prayer that you will allow Christ to come alive in your life. Be open to Him… and just see if He won’t use you… like he did Elijah… in extraordinary ways! HE IS ALIVE, AND READY TO COME TO YOUR ASSISTANCE

Thoroughly Washed

Tuesday, October 01, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”

Psalm 51:1–4

In 1501, Michelangelo won a commission from the city of Florence to make a statue for the cathedral there. The resulting figure of David is one of the most famous marble sculptures in the world. But Michelangelo did not begin the project. It had been started more than thirty-five years earlier. Two previous sculptors had tried to work the large block of marble but had not been able to turn it into a viable statue. At just twenty-six years of age, Michelangelo began carving away the stone to bring his vision of the great king of Israel to life. He later said, “The more the marble wastes, the more the statue grows.”

We recognize that God’s plan and purpose is for us to be holy. Yet often, we struggle with the process. As God confronts us with our sin, and the Holy Spirit brings conviction, we often want to cling to the parts of our sin we enjoy rather than allowing them to be thoroughly cleansed. But unless the parts that do not match His design are removed, we will not become like His Son.

As David accepted responsibility for his sin with Bathsheba, he asked God to deal with his sin thoroughly. We know from the Bible record that this was a painful process. David was willing to go through it because he valued his relationship with God above his enjoyment of sin. He recognized that radical surgery was required, and he wanted God to be thorough.

Today's Growth Principle: 

To be holy we must be willing for God to be thorough in purging all of the sins from our lives.