A Willing Heart

 1 Samuel 17:32 (NIV) David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine;       your servant will go and fight him.”

Isaiah 6:8 (NIV) “Then I heard to voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go            for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Luke 1:38 (NIV) “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”

        

            Three faithful servants—young David facing Goliath, a wise prophet, and Mary—the mother of our Savior. All willing to do what seemed at the time and circumstances to be a task beyond reasonability. Yet they obeyed and they were faithful to God in presenting their lives as a willing and obedient sacrifice to service for God. In an odd sort of way I wonder if this is what initiates our hesitation and fear of responding to God’s leading and guiding in our lives. Do we freeze up and convince ourselves, “What if he asks me to physically go somewhere?” “What if I can’t do it?” “What if my family disagrees or, worse,  thinks it’s silly?” I could probably generate pages of “What if..” scenarios, but I’m sure by now you get the idea. Or the other route we take is that of making excuses such as, “I don’t know how to do…” “I’m not very good at…” “I’m too young…too old…too tired…, etc.” I think the real problem might be that we look at biblical examples from the perspective of the famous people they became. What if we looked at these same examples from the perspective of the people who they actually were at the time they were called to service—a shepherd boy, a senior, and a teenage girl?

            To be clear, there are dozens of other examples of faithful servants recorded in the Bible and I have only selected three. The point is, no matter what God asked of people then, he always supplied the skill, talent, and/or means to accomplish whatever he asked them to do according to his plans and purposes. He gave them strength, courage, and the know-how. In return, they gave the LORD themselves—just as they were.

            Now is the time to free ourselves from fear of the unknown and stop making excuses. The only thing required of us is to present ourselves to God with a willing heart. Ironically, God has already provided you with an active duty service manual—the Bible, God’s Holy Word. Read it. Study it. Put it into practice. Never tire of doing what is right.

Philippians 4:9 (NIV) Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or see in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

2 Thessalonians 3:13 (NIV) And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.

James 1:22 (NLT) But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 

Gracious Heavenly Father,

            You have supplied us with everything we need to accomplish the tasks and opportunities of service you place before us. Forgive us when we hesitate or make excuses. Reassure us that one of the most important things we can do is to spread your gospel to a lost world. Give us the courage and resolve to honor the truth of your Word in whatever circumstances you place us. We give our willing hearts to you to use for your glory and honor.

            In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, Amen.

The devotional A Willing Heart appeared first on Write From My Heart at writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com

 

email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com

Focused on the Future

 Philippians 3:12 (NIV) …but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Colossians 1:12 (NIV) …giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Colossians 3:4 (NIV) When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

1 Thessalonians 2:12 (NIV) …encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

2 Timothy 4:18 (NIV) …The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.

2 Peter 3:13 (NIV) But in keeping with his promise we are  looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

1 John 2:17 (NIV) The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Jude v. 21 (NIV) Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

            One of the blessings of being raised in an Advent Christian home was learning to focus on the future. We do not yet have eternal life, but we hold the precious promise of eternal life which Christ will bring with him and bestow on all the faithful saints on the day he returns—his second Advent. As I have often shared with you, no matter how many times I read through the scriptures I never cease to find little golden nuggets of truth that deepen my understanding of what I thought I already knew.

            Currently I am following along on a Lenten Bible study [noted below] which caused me to notice something I somehow thought I knew but now I more deeply know. If you will bear with me, I would like to give you a single verse in three versions:

Luke 9:51 (KJV) And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.

Luke 9:51 (NIV) As the time appeared for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

Luke 9:51 (NLT) As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

            Now dear readers, as many times as I have read this verse I have always somehow focused on the part of Jesus understanding what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem and how he knew he would die but he was willing to do so for our sakes. Somehow I always focused on the immediate future of Jesus and his determination to go to Jerusalem despite knowing what it would cost him. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with that thought except that now I view it as a small step leading to something far more significant. The first part of each of those verses speaks of the end goal—after  the crucifixion, after the grave, after the resurrection, and to the future of eternal glory. Jesus was steadfast and resolute because he was totally focused on the future. This is exactly what my Advent Christian roots have always taught me—focus on the future—not the immediate what-will-happen-next future—but the coming Kingdom of God future.

            Today’s devotional opened with eight scripture verses that are merely a smattering (i.e., small sampling) of verses reminding us of the end goal for every Christian believer. Trust me, there are numerous other verses in addition to the eight provided here and I challenge you to notice them as you study on your own. Just as Jesus was focused on the ultimate future, so also should we be totally focused on the future of God’s coming Kingdom. It should be what guides our daily actions and what preserves us through daily struggles.

Gracious Heavenly Father,

            Forgive us when we become so preoccupied with the immediate future—those day-to-day items on our agenda and those daily challenges and struggles—that we forget to focus on the future of your coming Kingdom. Let it cause us to follow the example of Christ to live resolutely and steadfastly for you in all that we think, in all that we say, and in all that we do.

            In the name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, Amen.

Special Note:  My original thoughts for today’s devotional developed from my Advent Christian heritage with additional insights I am gleaning from the following Lenten Bible study:

Walt, J.D. Listen to Him: Forty Steps on the road to Resurrection. Franklin, TN: Seedbed           Publishing, 2018.

The devotional Focused on the Future appeared first on Write From My Heart at writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com

email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com