Daily Encouragement | A scripture-based, 60-second, challenge toward fidelity in living-out the call to Christian discipleship! | Page 1072

Leave a comment

Uncategorized

“’My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.'” (John 4:34, NIV)

As we’ve been told before: We need to be careful of what we eat. Over time, what we consume eventually consumes us.

Jesus said that His “food” was: (1) To do the will of His Father and; (2) To finish His work.

What is it that energizes you? What is it that were you to have to do without, you would die? By definition, this is our “food.”

As followers of Jesus, we should have the exact same motivation that He did. To require anything else assures spiritual malnutrition and the risk of being consumed by unworthy ambitions.

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these [other] things [we so eagerly seek, including literal food] will be added [provided] to us.” (Note: Bracketed words are my amplifications.) – Luther

Tagged God's provision, motivation, the book of John

Leave a comment

Uncategorized

“Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32, NIV)

Activity is often overrated. Because of this, we confuse movement with productivity.

Although most of us love to be seen as “proactive,” “energetic,” “take-charge,” or “engaging”; we need to know that the Lord values other adjectives more highly: “patient,” “long-suffering,” “self-possessed,” and “peaceable.”

Many things we choose to “force” in life would come to us with far less struggle and strife were we only to wait on the Lord. Recall the times in your life when you moved on something — or someone — just because you could; or because you wanted to “show-off.” In many of those instances, couldn’t you have achieved the same result with far less energy, drama, or pain to others?

All true warriors know that the best victory is the one that is gained without having to go into battle.

Wait on the Lord. He opens doors that no one can shut; and He closes doors that no one can open. – Luther

Tagged faith, God's sufficiency, patience, the book of Proverbs

Leave a comment

Uncategorized

“Isaiah answered, ‘This is the Lord’s sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?’ ‘It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,’ said Hezekiah. ‘Rather, have it go back ten steps.’ Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.” (2 Kings 20: 9-11, NIV)

As a disciple of Jesus, it is best that we not seek signs and affirmations from the Lord because, as the scripture says: “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

But. . . when we persist in seeking a sign from God, we need to take the boldest, most audacious course so that we will know, for all time, that it was the Lord God — not coincidence, circumstance, or good fortune — that made it all happen.

And having been given a front-row seat to the faithfulness and magnificence of our heavenly Father, we should be convinced — forever — of His love and faithfulness; returning as necessary to the place where God revealed Himself faithful and true, but never again needing a divine sign.

Remember the divine visitations, and God’s answers to our audacious prayers, and the desire for new affirmations from God will be satisfied by the memory of our experiences. – Luther

Tagged affirmations, Hezekiah, Isaiah, signs, the book of 2 Kings