[ecko_quote source=" 1 Timothy 3:2"]So, a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach [/ecko_quote]
Paul says to Timothy that it is a faithful saying that if a man desires the position of a leader (bishop), he desires a good work, but he must be a man that is temperate, sober-minded, of good behaviour, and hospitable. He must be a man who can teach the Word of God. He must be blameless.
All of these conditions apply to us. There is no point in casting out demons, praying for the sick, performing signs and wonders, If we do not live by what we preach; the Word of God. The Lord makes it very clear that a leader should not be given to wine, is not a drunkard or a winebibber, is not greedy for money, is not quarrelsome, and is not someone who covets what their brother has. They should be humble without pride and arrogance. It is sad to see in these times some believers giving others wine bottles as a gift and a token of gesture. I could not understand the rationale and wisdom beyond these forbidden gifts. It came to my notice once, and I objected it in the light of the above verse, and they have shown me the exit door.
A leader is someone who rules their house in such a way that their children are obedient and respectful. He must be respected among those around him as a person of God. If you want God to use you in the realm of faith, in the area of signs, wonders and miracles, you first need to get your own house in order. Sadly, some leaders pay the least attention towards their children but desire to look after the congregation. Their children's lives seem to be going downhill in every aspect yet they least bother to address it. Nevertheless, they are always eager to address and whine about others children. So far, my top ten inches could not comprehend about what sort of preaching they would do and who will listen to them. My dear ones’ leadership is a serious Christian aspect, and we do not have any luxury to play around with it. Take the example of Moses who led the Israelites for forty years to the promised land, but unfortunately, he barred to enter the promised land because only once he did not follow God’s instruction.
If a child is still under his parents’ authority, his behaviour will disqualify his father from being an elder if it is openly insubordinate and publicly harmful to the man’s reputation, and so the reputation of the church and Christ. Secondly, it causes people to question whether or not the man can give oversight to the church.
All children disobey their parents. Most children can be wild and unruly at times. The point is not that an elder’s children never disobey him; the point is that the father leads his home through consistent, godly instruction, and discipline which leads to children who generally obey and submit to him.
If an elder/minister cannot even train his own children to be grounded in the truth so that they will not depart from it when they leave his household, how can he be expected to train others to be grounded and settled in the true faith? (Proverbs 22:6). Leadership is the key to the spiritual life of those in the church. They are the reason the church grows or decays!
Please remember this! First, we need to get our house in order before, we go out and tell others about our blessed Redeemer. That is when people will listen. Let’s work on our personal holiness first. Our dress code- your appearance is important to God because as His children, God wants your best in all areas of life. Our language- there is no place in the kingdom of God for a man who professes to be an ambassador for Jesus and yet uses filthy and hurtful language. Humility- preferring others to yourself; always going that extra mile for your fellow man.
Clearly, the offices of elder and deacon are important in the church. Ministering to God’s people in word and deed is a serious responsibility for a man to take on, and it should never be done lightly. A biblically unqualified individual should not occupy either the office of elder or deacon; the church/fellowship deserves better.
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[ecko_quote source=" Hebrews 13:5"]Let your conduct be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for He has said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee[/ecko_quote]
There is an old Persian fable of a hen, mouse, and a rabbit who lived together in a little house in the woods. They shared all the work and lived in harmony. The chicken found the firewood; the mouse brought the water from a nearby brook, and the rabbit cooked the meals. Each did his work faithfully and contentedly.
One day, while the hen was out in the forest looking for wood, a nosy crow approached her and asked what she was doing. When he heard, the crow began to caw, "That is not fair! You are doing the hardest part of the work! That rabbit and mouse are taking advantage of you! The chicken continued her work, but try as she would, she could not stop thinking about what the crow said. These feelings festered and festered, and by the time she got home, she was so upset that she burst out in tears, screaming, "It is not fair! I do the hardest work of the three of us! That's it! I'm not going to gather this heavy firewood anymore!"
Discontent spreads. As you might expect, immediately, the rabbit and mouse also began to argue that they had been doing the hardest of the work and that they were not going to do their jobs anymore either. The three argued until they were tired and finally decided to switch jobs - from now on the rabbit would gather the firewood, the hen would bring the water, and the mouse would cook. As the rabbit hopped into the forest for wood, a Fox trailed him, caught him, and ate him. The chicken put the pail into the creek, but the current pulled the pail down under and the chicken with it. The mouse, while sitting on the edge of the big pot of soup, lost his balance and fell into it.
Discontentment not only destroyed their happiness but their very lives.
We all have a job to do here especially in the house of God. No job is greater than the next - no person is greater than the next, no matter what those crows might tell you. We are all working for the same King, and we can worship Him even while gathering firewood if that is what He is called us to do!
In the fellowship, God has equipped His children with talents and gifts to worship and spread the gospel. Some of them are musicians, singers, worship leaders, organisers, preachers, and teachers. Each one of these individuals needs to use their talents in their respective fields. In the secular world, we can use the term “multi-tasking” to carry out our jobs but not in the Kingdom of God. For example, God has given me a gift and grace to preach the word of God, and I must obey to my call. However, if I choose to play music instead of preaching the word of God, it would create disharmony and confusion because God has not yet given me grace in that field.
The Word of God says” Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble” (I Peter 1:10). Why so much confusion and disharmony in the Church of God? It is because believers are not sure of their call and election. Instead, they prefer to go by their own choice which is why they are stumbling. The Church leadership must identify the presence of talents and grace in believers and use it in the Church for the glory of God.
As sons of God, we are called to be led by the Spirit. This requires a level of dependence on God in which many of us really do not want to invest. It requires listening, waiting, and taking a step only when God's Spirit tells us to take a step ahead. Today's believers are "action" people. We know how to get things done, but our greatest strength can be our greatest weakness. Today, ask God to make you a Romans 8:14 man or woman of God who is led by the Spirit of God. Pray against lagging behind or moving ahead. Ask God to reveal whether the ministry you consider is a "good thing" or a "God-thing."
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[ecko_quote source="1 Timothy 5:22"]Do not appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily.[/ecko_quote]
A few years ago, I attended one of the fellowship meetings where the leaders were discussing about adding more people to the leadership team. As the leaders started discussing this matter with the congregation, one of the leaders asked the congregation for their opinions. Taking this opportunity some have spoken and agreed to include new people into the leadership team. Since I was unsure about what they wanted to achieve through this move and wisdom beyond this proposal, I asked the leadership about what necessity they got to take up new people into the leadership team since everything was working well with the existing leadership. They did not give me an answer but defended their decision and ridiculed me for asking such a question. However, the fellowship leaders took a decision to include new members into the leadership team.
After a couple of months, the fellowship leaders started questioning each other and started political gimmicks instead of spiritual discernment to solve the problems. The new members of the leadership team proposed that the current fellowship leaders should step down and that each leader should take turns to lead the fellowship for a couple of months on a rotation basis. However, everyone from the current leadership did not accept rotation policy and objected it strongly. The power struggle started within the leadership team causing it to split, and eventually lead to form another fellowship. This resulted in a bitter rivalry between the members of the leadership team and further the congregation also joined their hands to support their choice of leaders. Believe it or not, the congregation became a scapegoat to the wishes and ambitions of the aspirant leaders. It affected the entire community, the seeds of bitterness sowed by the leadership caused rivalry amongst the congregation. This community now hardly comes together even for any blessed programmes. I strongly believe in my heart based on the scriptures that these leaders will surely pay for their actions. God will surely ask them accounts for what they have done with the responsibilities and talents that he gave unto them (Matthew 25:25). The congregation completely lost confidence in the leadership and living with discouragement.This community peoples' hearts are so hardened that now, they hardly come together even for funerals.
According to the Scripture, this way of living is not the pattern that God wishes. However, from the first human beings, Adam and Eve, until the last word in Revelation, people have been letting each other down throughout history. Relationships have been damaged. Leaders have failed. Before I go any further, one thing must be clear: just because the one who hurts you is a leader does not mean that leader is absolved of consequences. Some sins (abuse of all forms, moral failure, murder, and so on) require immediate dismissal from the position of authority. David sinned by taking advantage of Bathsheba and murdering her husband (2 Sam. 11). While he was repentant, his child still died as a consequence of his failure (2 Sam. 12:18-19). Sin has consequences, even for leaders.
How should we respond in our hearts towards such failings? Do you retreat, like me? Do you face it head on, refusing to be victimised again? Do you leave the church, fed up with hypocrisy? Do you cut off with the one who has hurt you? Failure of leadership is a grievous offence against God’s people. It stings, sometimes for years. It plants seeds of distrust that often grow into choking weeds that are difficult to remove. It muddies our judgment of all levels of leadership. It dulls our senses to true leadership because pain and betrayal have clouded our eyes.
With every failed leader in Scripture God was doing something powerful in the failure—he was showing his people that he alone is God. The same is true for us today. Like the Israelites before us, we are prone to worship what is in front of us (leaders) rather than the God whom our eyes cannot see. Moreover, when leaders fall or sin against us, our reaction toward their demise reveals just how much stock we put in their ability to save us.
Any discussion of leadership would be woefully incomplete if it failed to mention that we have a hope of the perfect one—Jesus. But looking to Christ, as the head of all things, including the church, is no mere platitude for weary hearts. It is the honest truth we can take to the bank when a failed leader has sucked dry the bank account of our hearts. No one faced more disappointment from leaders than Jesus (Luke 22:66-23:25). He was scorned and crucified by the political and religious leaders of his day. All for us. When all the leaders around us fail (parents, husbands, teachers, pastors, bosses, politicians, and so on) we have a leader who stands for us to the end. He died to secure us, his children, and he lives to bring us home safely.
In all our disappointment with those who lead us, we do not grieve their sin as people who have no hope. They are not ultimate; Christ is. They are not our saviour; Christ is. They will not fulfil us; Christ will. Leaders come and go. Christ remains the same, faithful and true to his sheep. We grieve failed leadership (and deal with it biblically). However, we find shelter from the storm of their failings in Jesus Christ, our perfect leader.
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[ecko_quote source="1 Samuel 17:47"]For the battle is the Lord’s[/ecko_quote]
One day a soldier, charged with fleeing from the enemy was brought before Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great asked him “what’s your name?” Dropping his head, he replied, “Alexander”. Alexander the Great grabbed him by the shoulders and said, “Soldier, change your conduct or change your name!
Likewise, we have been called “Christians” it means Christ is living in us. However, sometimes our behaviour and activities are appalling. We are not even worthy to be called by our own names nor worthy enough to have our title “Christian”. There is a Wise saying “tell me your friend name I will tell your character”.
Dear ones, you have been called to live a life worthy of the One whose name you carry. Regardless of whether the giant you face is addiction, resentment, fear, lust, pride, envy or anger, you must realise that you are not unique. Your temptations are no different from what others experience (I Corinthians 10:13). Goliath was not always a giant; he was fed and nurtured until he became one. Our giants are usually little sins. We overlook and indulge until those little sins assume a life of their own and come back to haunt us.
Further, you cannot do it alone. You giant will defeat you anytime if you tackle him with your own strength. David told Goliath, “This is the Lord’s battle, and He will give you to us” (1 Samuel 17:47). You need divine help to overcome old habits and establish new behaviours. So, declare with Paul, “Christ … gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).
Finally, you must confront your giant 'head- on'. The Bible says “As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran to meet him. (I Samuel 17:48). Don’t run away, don’t try to negotiate, don’t compromise and don’t excuse. Force your giant out into the light and don’t ever let him back into your life. Establish boundaries and make yourself accountable. Stay out of the wrong company. Above all, don’t look at God in the light of your giant, look at your giant in the light of God.
The point to remember in today’s verse is that the battle is the Lord's. Regardless of what He does to get the victory, it is always He who gets the victory. This is true today and forever. God promises to shield us under His wings. He promises to walk through the dark times with us and to strengthen us in times of trial. In every battle that we go through, it is the Lord who must be at the head of the battle so that He takes the full force of the opposing wind; otherwise, we will be wiped out and defeated.
Challenge: What are you facing today? Choose to stand under the protection of God and let Him take over the situation. Believe that He has the answer.
Source: Jonah Ravinder, UEC Ministries; Bob and Debby Gass- Daily Devotional
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[ecko_quote source=" John 20:24-29"]Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples, therefore, said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So, he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” ….. “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed[/ecko_quote]
So many people say, “when I see it, or when I feel it, then I will know that I have it”. However, that is not Bible faith. That is natural human faith. Moreover, that kind of natural faith already exists in any sinner. But the Real faith is based upon the Word. Real faith in the Word says, “if God says it is true then it is “. Believing God is believing His Word!
I like what Smith Wigglesworth said, “I cannot understand God by feeling. I cannot understand the Lord Jesus Christ by feeling. I can understand God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, only through what the Word says about them”. Then he went on to say, “We need to get acquainted with God the Father through the Word. He is everything the Word says He is. We need to get acquainted with the Lord Jesus Christ through the Word. He is everything the Word says He is”.
Too many people try to get acquainted with God through feelings. When they feel well, they think God heard them. If they do not feel well, they think He is not hearing them. Their faith is based on their feelings. However, our faith must be based on God’s Word. If God’s Word says He hears me, then I know He hears me- because He said so and His Word is not a lie. If my faith were to be based on my feelings, then I would be using natural human faith. I would be trying to get spiritual results with natural human faith, and I cannot do it. I must use scriptural faith, Bible faith before God works. Moreover, if my faith is based upon the Word of God, I will believe in the Word regardless of any evidence which would satisfy my physical senses. Too many folks are trying to get Abraham’s blessings with Thomas’ faith, and it just won’t work.
Notice Thomas’ faith. His faith was not based on what God said. Thomas’ faith was based on his own physical senses, feelings. He said he would not believe unless he could see.
Here is a little formula of faith, patterned after Abraham’s faith, which you can implement in your life to make it work for you. First, he had God’s word for it. Second, he believed in God’s Word. Third, he did not consider any of the contradictory circumstances. Fourth, he gave praise to God. Follow those four steps, and you will always get through to God. These are the four steps to certain deliverances, healing, prayer, and whatever it is that you are seeking.
Our faith too often is based on the physical feelings and what our physical sense tells us. Now I certainly believe in feelings, but I put it last. God’s Word comes first, faith in God’s Word comes second, and feeling/feelings come last. Too many people turn it around and stick their feeling up in the front. That kind of faith will never make a success of anything.
We who are believers have Abraham kind of faith, because Galatians 3:29 says, “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”. Galatians 3:7 says, “Know you therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham”. Well, we have the Abraham kind of faith then. We are not trying to get it, but we have it.
Source: Jonah Ravinder, UEC Ministries ; Kenneth Hagan Sr
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[ecko_quote source="Psalm 34:7"]The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him and He delivers them.[/ecko_quote]
A young girl named Diane went to her friend’s house and ended up staying longer than planned, so she had to walk home alone. She was not afraid as it was a small COMMUNITY, and she lived only a few blocks away. As she walked along under the bike trail, Diane asked God to keep her safe from any harm and danger. When she reached an alley, she decided to take it as it was a shortcut to her house. However, halfway down the driveway, she noticed a man standing at the end as though he was waiting for her. She became uneasy and began to pray, asking God for protection. Instantly a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped around her, she felt as though someone was walking with her. When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely.
The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she passed by. Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep thanking the Lord for her safety. To help this other young woman, Diane went to the police station. She felt she could recognise the man, so she told them her story. The police asked if she would be willing to look at the lined-up suspects and identify the person. She agreed and immediately pointed out towards the man she had seen in the alley the night before. When the man was told, he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed.
The officer thanked Diane for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her. Diane was curious as to why he had not attacked her, so she asked if they would ask the man this one question. The policeman asked him and returned with his answer that she didn't attack her, “Because she was not alone. She had two tall men walking on either side of her”. Dear ones, this applies to each one of our lives. Whether you believe it or not, you are not alone. God is always there in your heart and loves you no matter what.
My dear friend, I do not know your current position and disposition. You may be going through financial troubles, job issues, visa issues, health issues, relationship matters or may be nothing in your life is working your way. Probably, you may be wondering how you could come out of these problems and who could come to your rescue or help you.
One thing I can say with certainty (over the years walking with the Lord) that our God never forsakes anyone especially those who trust Him. The word says “Once I was young, and now I am old. I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25). How true it is! Because heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s words will never pass away (Matthew 24:35).
Victory over your situation is just a prayer away. Your circumstances may not change, but your perspective and attitude will change as you begin to pray and praise God. You and I do not have a need that God cannot meet. Be cheerful and pray as our help is just around the corner. Don't give up!
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[ecko_quote source="2 Corinthians 5:20"]So, we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God![/ecko_quote]
In every weekly newsletter of our Shalom Fellowship specifies our slogan “We are Christ’s Ambassadors”. Also,our beloved brother Anil Amatinthala quoted this verse and reminded us in our Fellowship meetings several times. Lately, I have been wondering about what this motto means to us as followers of Jesus Christ. In the Bible, Jesus used several titles to address us such as friends, brothers, fellow soldiers, fellow servants and His ambassadors. Each calling has its own significance in the Christian life. In a general sense; an ambassador is a spokesperson or representative of one state who holds the authority to communicate or converse with the authorities of another state. In our context, as an ambassador for Christ, we have been authorised and clothed with divine authority and power to speak His reconciling message of love to the unsaved world (Mark 16:15)
In other words, we are the representatives of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. For us Christians, this world is a temporary home and a foreign country. It is true that we are ambassadors for Christ who represent our King of Heaven and the Heaven itself in this foreign land. Nevertheless, none of us can truly represent our Lord in our own strength, but when He sends us out, we go fully equipped with all the resources of heaven as he is all sufficient.
However, we must consider certain important traits of a true Christ’s ambassador before we claim to be His ambassadors. First, he must be a citizen of heaven. No alien can ever represent our government in a foreign state. The above verse states that true ambassador must be “in Christ”, “a new creation” ... and “redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19) and holds a citizenship of heaven. Secondly, he must be above reproach. Our government never sends out a man of doubtful character. Our Lord requires that His ambassadors should live lives that are above suspicion. He is the object of the closest scrutiny, and in every relationship, he must be blameless. Further,he must not interfere and involved in the worldly matters & activities.
Thirdly, he must be selfless. He must be willing to completely put aside his own interest and personal agenda so that he might do the will of his King. It is the whole determined attitude of our lives, Not I, but Christ lives in me (Galatian 2:20), and his self must die daily (1Cor 15:31). Fourthly, he must be in constant touch with the Throne. An ambassador of this world uses every modern method of communication to ensure his contact with the officials. In the same way, Christ's ambassadors can be in constant contact with the Throne of God by Prayer.
Fifth, he must be steadfast and loyal. He must be willing to suffer for Christ’s sake as Apostle Paul suffered in prison and experienced persecutions. How faithful and how loyal he was to his king. Sixth, he must be diplomatic. Diplomacy is the art of negotiation. We have no wisdom of our own, and we certainly do not have the wisdom needed to win souls and represent the Lord before men. However, we have a great promise that God will fulfil in us if we ask Him for wisdom (James 1:5).
Finally, he must know the language of the people among whom he lives. The language that we, as ambassadors, need to learn is the language of love (Luke 10:33-35)
At an infinite cost to Himself God has made a way of reconciliation possible. That He has done by sending His own Son to die for sin, and through His sacrifice, the barrier of sin has been removed. God and man have been brought together in Christ by His atonement. As Christ’s ambassadors, we need to proclaim this message in this world.
Source: Jonah Ravinder, UEC Ministries and Francis Dixon of Life Ministries.
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[ecko_quote source="Galatians 2:20 "]I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me[/ecko_quote]
A few weeks ago, while I was working on my office computer, one of the important application was disabled. This application is vital for me to carry out my job. I tried my level best and asked my colleagues for help. Unfortunately, they could not fix the problem either and suggested me contact our helpdesk which is located in Wellington. A lady attended my call. She asked for my identification and my computer ID. After that, she sent me a message which requested for an approval to access my computer. I agreed and gave her the remote access. To my surprise, she was just browsing all around my computer and opening various applications. I was just watching her operating my computer without my interference. She took control of every aspect. She requested me to simply wait while she is fixing the problem. Finally, she identified the trouble and fixed it accordingly.
This incident taught me a spiritual implication of our lives in Christ. In the above incident, I should not interfere with what she was doing. If I did, the computer would crash, or she may withdraw from fixing the problem. Similarly, we should not live but let Christ live in us. The above verse states we have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer we that live, but Christ lives in us. When we provide full access and fully surrender which includes being dead to our will, only then Christ can make a difference in our life. Jesus said in Mathew 6:24” "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. We should no longer live let Christ live in us. If we continue to live, we only encounter defeat in every realm of our lives and would only receive bitter disappointment. Our best efforts and talents will not make us any good. Our system and thought lines are corruptive, and we cannot bring any good from it. The best thing we should do is to let our 'self' die so that Christ can live in us. Therefore, learn the art of surrendering moment by moment knowing that we and the life which we were living in the flesh have been crucified with Christ. And then, we can live with of full of faith in Jesus.
When we are crucified with Christ by faith in Him, we have to completely surrender every selfish desire and ambition to the perfect will of God. Self-promotion and self-pleasing desires are the greatest obstacles between man and salvation. It is because the very nature of man always wants to please himself, and this self-recognition is a building block for sin. All sin erupts from the desire to please self which must be crucified with Christ in surrender to the will of God before salvation can bear fruit. Man, cannot overcome his inherited sinful nature on his own and needs the power and assistance of the Holy Spirit to make this happen, but the surrender of his own will to that of God’s will is essential for the elimination of his own desire’s powerful motivation and enslavement. This is repentance. It is a surrender of one’s own control and will to the power and will of the Holy Spirit that is the beginning of being crucified with Christ.
Not by man’s own effort to battle his corruptible nature, but in surrender of his own will to God’s will (1 Peter 1:23). This proves to be a great challenge for many people because we attempt to control our sinful nature on our own. This only results in repeated fall into the same old, sinful ways from which we are attempting to escape. If it had been possible for a man to overcome his sinful nature with his own power and will, there would not have been any need for Jesus to die for our sins.
salvation is by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8–9).Many Christians want to be obedient but continue to stumble in sin because they try to hang on to parts of their old self which they think they can control. This is a self-defeating rationale that relies on the idea that man saves himself by his own works. The Bible teaches us that nothing a man does can save his soul. Only salvation by the grace of God can (Ephesians 2:8–9).
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[ecko_quote source=" Matthew 11:28-30"]Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My Yoke Is easy and My burden is light[/ecko_quote]
In the light of our previous devotion “The impossibility of Christian life,” the fundamental thing that we have to do is surrender our lives so that Christ can live in and through our lives. Surrender is not the surrendering of the external life, but of our will; when that is done, all is done. There are very few crisis in life; among which the great crisis is the surrender of our will willingly. God never crushes a man’s will into surrender. He never beseeches him; He waits until the man yields up his will to Him. That battle never needs to be refought.
Surrender for deliverance “Come unto Me and I will give you rest”. We begin to experience what salvation means only after we surrender our will to Jesus for rest. Whatever is perplexing your heart or mind is a call to the will- “Come unto Me”. It is a coming that is done voluntarily.
Surrender for Devotion- “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself”. The surrender here is of ourselves to Jesus i.e. our own selves with His rest at the heart of it. “If you would be My disciple, give up your right of yourself to Me.” Then the remainder of the life is nothing but the manifestation of this surrender. When once the surrender has taken place we won't need to think of "suppose" for anything. We do not need to care what our circumstances are or would be; Jesus is amply sufficient.
Surrender to death (John 21:18-19) …” Another shall gird thee” Have you learned what it means to be bound for death? Beware of a surrender which you make to God in an ecstasy; you are apt to take it back again. It is a question of being united with Jesus in His death until nothing ever appeals to you that did not appeal to Him.
After surrender – What? Christ lives in us. The whole of the life after surrender is an aspiration for unbroken communion with God.
All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him; In His presence, daily live……. I surrender all; I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all.
Source: Pastor Jonah Ravinder; The Utmost for His Highest – Oswald Chambers.
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[ecko_quote source=" Galatians 2:20"]I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me[/ecko_quote]
Many of us start our Christian life thinking it as very easy. Author and teacher Stuart Briscoe said, When I got saved, it was so wonderful. The burden of sin was gone. Boy, I started out wanting to live for God and be so happy. “It’s wonderful. Here I am, saved. Hallelujah, Jesus! I will never make another mistake. I have been saved; my sins have been forgiven. I have the Holy Spirit in me. This is just wonderful,” I was saying, and then I stumbled and fell. I got discouraged a little bit. I said, “Well, this isn’t as easy as I thought. This is difficult.” And I began to strive and tried to be a better Christian, but again I failed miserably. I stopped saying this is difficult. I hung my head in despair and said, “This is impossible.”
The more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that the Christian life is very difficult. I was supposed to love my neighbours. Some of them I hadn’t even got around to liking! God seemed to expect from me a love that would put Him first, and I wasn’t too sure that was what I wanted. Often I pretended all was well when I knew it wasn’t. Then something happened. Reading through my Bible, I have learnt that I had been wrong about the Christian life. First, I thought it was easy. That was wrong. Then I figured it was difficult. But I realised that was wrong too. For the first time in my life, I understood that Christianity was impossible for a human being. Not easy and not difficult, Impossible.
Then God showed me that what He had for me was CHRIST. He had told me to live the impossible because He had given me Christ to whom it was all possible. My inability was the perfect soil for His ability. My defeat was the stage for His victory. My barrenness was the seed plot for His fruitfulness. The answer to my problem was Christ. I got more conscious of my helplessness and failure than ever before. But I was strangely excited to know that the Lord was resident in my weakness and master of my defeat. The next time when I got up to preach, I whispered “Okay, Lord, here we go again. These problems are too big for me but well within your capabilities. I claim your power to triumph” And I began to do just that. God in His goodness had introduced me to a life of faith, trust, and dependence on Lord Jesus. He was becoming increasingly real to me. In fact, that should be the story of the Christian life. Finding it continually impossible to you, but always possible to the One who lives in you, and being excited about being able to prove Him.
A dear friend used to say, we all are the failures that we were meant to be. In other words, our attempts at living the Christian life in own power were always supposed to fail. God never intended for us to succeed by self-effort, self-motivation, and self-striving. We were never designed (of course after Adam's sin) to live holy lives without trusting the Christ who died for us. In short, we cannot live the Christian life without Christ. Only by grace through faith, Christian growth is achieved (Gal. 3:1-5).
When we attempt to live the Christian life in our power, we find it impossible. We grow frustrated. Our up and down experiences of momentary victory and devastating failures prove exhausting. The cycles of perpetual self-confidence/pride and shame/guilt leave us wondering if we are really saved. Then, we realise that our sense of desperation and defeat is what God is waiting for; he wants us to come to the end of ourselves.
God is waiting for us to admit our struggle, repent of our self-sufficiency, and pray for divine help (2 Cor. 12:8-10). It sounds a bit cliché, but God desires for us to stop trying and to start trusting. He wants us to give up striving and struggling to allow Christ to do the impossible: give us liberty and victory over our on-going struggles with sin (2 Peter 1:3-4).
The Lord’s purpose and goal is to allow his Son, Jesus Christ, to live his life in and through us (1 John 4:9). The only person who ever successfully lived the Christian life was Christ himself. Therefore, we need to allow Christ to live his life in and through us for victory over sin, power over temptations, and anointing for ministry (Gal. 2:20).
The Christian life can only be explained in terms of Jesus Christ, and if your life as a Christian can still be explained in terms of you, your personality, your willpower, your gift, your talent, your money, your courage, your scholarships, your dedication, your sacrifices, or your anything... Then although you may have the Christian life, you are not yet living it!
You know what? Mr Briscoe was right. The Christian life is impossible, without Christ. You see, when Mr Briscoe discovered that God is the God of the impossible and that Jesus Christ was in Him, he then stopped trying, started trusting, and let the Lord Jesus Christ live His life through him. He also stopped saying Christian life as impossible and started saying, “This is wonderful!”
Source: Jonah Ravinder; Mr Stuart Briscoe
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