Devotion

God First

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Am I ready to love God above everything else? Above my passions, my possessions, even my own family? Here is an excellent devotion written by
Hannah Whitall Smith. It reminds me of the story when God ask Abraham to offer his own son Isaac (Genesis 22).

The Lord has shown me another step. Today the question has been presented to me whether I would be willing to lose my darling child, my little daughter Mary, for the sake of the revelation of the Lord Jesus Himself to me. It was a battle, but my Saviour has triumphed. It came simply to this point, Would I keep my daughter, and remain a cold and lukewarm Christian all my life, living at a distance from my Saviour, and unbaptized by His Spirit; or, would I give her up, that I might see Him in His beauty, and know Him to dwell in my heart in all His fullness.
Thanks be unto His Name, He has worked in me to choose the latter! I desire Him even more than I desire my precious, my darling daughter! And now surely the last link to earth is broken, for, without my daughter, life would be desolate indeed. I am wholly the Lord’s now.
Oh what hinders Him from blessing me! Still I wait and pray that He will reveal Himself that He will baptize me with the Holy Ghost!
—Journal, April 22, 1868

Hannah Whitall Smith and Melvin Easterday Dieter, The Christian’s Secret of a Holy Life: The Unpublished Personal Writings of Hannah Whitall Smith (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

You could also leave your comments at john@cafegospel.me

Discipleship

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This is a very good meditation from John G Butler on Discipleship.

Several Resolutions For Those Who Are Serious About Their Calling

William Law (1686-1761 A. D.) in his classic work, “A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life” puts forth some thought-provoking ideas for the committed follower of Jesus Christ:

“The devout… are people who do not live to their own will, or in the way and spirit of the world, but only to the will of God. Such people consider God in everything, and make every aspect of their lives holy by doing everything in the name of God and in a way that conforms to God’s glory.”

“[The Savior and His apostles] teach us:

To renounce the world and be different in our attitudes and ways of life (Ephesians 4:17-24)

To renounce all its goods (Luke 14:26-33; 18:22, 23; Philippians 3:7, 8)

To fear none of its evils… (Luke 12:32; John 14:1, 27; 16:33; Hebrews 13:5, 6))

To have no value for its happiness (Psalm 37:1, 2, 7; 73:2-20; Proverbs 3:31; 24:1)

To be as newborn babes who are born into a new state of things (1 Peter 2:2, 3)

To live as pilgrims in spiritual watching, in holy fear, and heavenly aspiring after another life (1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13-16; 1 Peter 1:15-17)

To take up our cross daily, to deny ourselves (Luke 9:23, 24; John 12:25, 26)

To profess the blessedness of mourning, to seek the blessedness of poverty of spirit (Matthew 5:3, 4)

To forsake the pride and vanity of riches… (1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19; Proverbs 23:4)

To live in the most profound state of humility (Jeremiah 45:5; Matthew 18:2-4; Romans 12:3, 16; Galatians 6:14)

To rejoice in worldly sufferings (Acts 5:41; Matthew 5:10-12)

To reject the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17; Colossians 3:1, 2)

To bear injuries, to forgive and bless our enemies… (Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 6:27-36; Romans12:14-21)

To give up our whole hearts and affections to God (Deuteronomy 10:12, 13; 1 John 5:2-4)

To strive to enter through the straight gate into a life of eternal glory.” (Matthew 7:13, 14)

Facts of the Matter: Daily Devotionals.

Devotion to the Word of God

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“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart; for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16) KJV

When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies. (Jeremiah 15:16) NLT

Jeremiah was devoted to the Word of God.

This verse shows his great devotion to the Word and the resulting effects which included his call into service. To look into the details of this verse about Jeremiah’s devotion to the Word, we note his pursuit, partaking, pleasure, and placement.

Pursuit.

“Thy words were found.” (KJV) “I discovered your words” (NLT)

You will not find the Word unless you look for it. This says you will not learn much Scripture if you do not study it. “Search the Scriptures” (John 5:39) is one of the keys to finding great truths in the Word. Our lack of learning of the Word is often a lack of industry in pursuing the Word. “Thy words were found” also says that when one moves to a new community, he needs to look for a church where the Word is preached faithfully. Do not settle in a church where the Word is not preached.

Partaking.

“I did eat them.” (KJV) “I devoured them.” (KJV) “They are my joy and my heart’s delight.” (NLT)

After the finding comes the feeding. Many get new Bibles but never read them. This is like filling your cupboard with food but not eating the food. Some do not eat the Word because of poor appetites. They have filled their soul with the junk food of the world (such as TV), and so they are about as interested in the preaching and teaching of the Word as children are in vegetables.

Pleasure.

“Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.”

If you get into the Word faithfully and “eat” the Word spiritually, you will find it a great delight to your soul. But most people have little delight in the Word. They are like those Jeremiah spoke to whom “the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach, they have no delight in it” (Jeremiah 6:10).

Placement.

“I am called by thy name.” (KJV) “I bear your name.” (NLT)

This means Jeremiah was called into service for God. If you are devoted to the Word of God, you will have a place in the service of God.  Being devoted to the Word of God is absolutely essential if you want to truly serve God. Unfortunately, many churches and mission boards ignore this basic truth. This results in workers without a message and hence without value.

 

By John Butler,  Butler’s Bible Reading