DECEMBER 18
“Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. As thou didst send me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves may be sanctified in the truth” - John 17:17-19.
Warren W. Wiersbe poses the question, 'Can one Christian make a difference?' then answers his own question. Yes, one individual can change the world. God doesn't call a committee meeting to select His disciples, He gives each individual the freedom to choose their path in life – to spread His word – walk the walk and talk the talk. Take for instance, the people who, over the centuries were called to serve, and followed.
Abraham founded the Hebrew nation, and when that nation needed to be delivered from their slavery in Egypt, God called Moses. Joshua, after the death of Moses, led the Children of Israel into the land of their inheritance. You would have thought the people, by this time, would have learned their lesson and been thankful, yet it took Samuel and David, as individuals, to step forward and once again rescue the people from slavery.
In the New Testament the apostle Paul was called to take the gospel to the gentiles, causing a right furore at the time! It wasn't just men who stepped up to the plate when God called....Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist, and Mary was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus, our Saviour. Lydia opened her home to the church at Philippi, and Priscilla and Aquila befriended Apollos and Paul.
In more modern times our minds go to Mother Teresa – Corrie Ten Boom – Ann Frank – Billy Graham etc. Each of these “kept.” “obeyed.” They heard God's call – received and believed the Word – then acted on it. It wasn't enough to appreciate and hold the Word in high esteem, they applied it. True disciples live what they learn. As Wiersbe says, “It is not in the studying of the Bible that we grow spiritually, but in the doing of what God has taught us.”
What are your priorities? Are you a hearer, or a doer?
Today's music is Eric Tom singing “Here I Am Lord.” Cick on the picture illustrating the Parted Waters – I think this is what it would look like if it occurred today. Like Pharaoh’s army in their chariots.
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Housekeeping details for you
The point of this short blog will become clear if you decide to use this reading in the way we intend it. Netherfield Seventh-day Adventist Church believes in healthy churches. You can see what that means if you head to the relevant Healthy Churches page of the website. We also want other churches to be healthy. That means you can join in our campaign to create healthy churches, with healthy people serving the people in those churches.
A healthy church is one where Jesus comes first. A healthy church is one where the people work together to put Jesus first. One thing we are doing is to join people together to spread that news. I would like you to look at our prayer partners page. This will explain how we want you to use this short devotional. Very basically we want you to find a like-minded Christian friend who you will join with to : choose to pray together every day, decide together on a way to serve other people together, to help them grow as Christians - and to invite the Holy Spirit into your life every day. This blog that you will receive every day simply gives a common spiritual purpose. If you are a newcomer and want to join the blog with this object in mind click here
