#691 Held

Guest devotion by Travis Patterson, orchestra teacher and Bible study leader at First Baptist Church El Paso, Texas.

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We live in a difficult time. The church of America has been assaulted with so many false doctrines it can be very difficult and overwhelming to find truth anymore.  In addition, the media delights in finding another minister who has “fallen from grace.”  Add that with the “anti-religion” politically correct atmosphere we experience every day at work; it would appear that the true Church of Jesus Christ does not have a chance of survival in this country.  But through prayer, God will open our eyes to amazing works of His Spirit happening.  The church has seen such days before as was the case in the first century of Christianity.  Christians stood firm and fearless in the face of discomfort, loss of possessions and loss of life.  Today we may be encouraged from our brothers and sisters from Colossae! The path of suffering is ultimately a path of victory, because it is the path of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! As we learn to hold fast to our Head, our Savior, our Lord, we will see God making us strong by His Spirit and using us to hold members of the body together in love.  We will experience what it is like to be “Held” to “the praise of the glory of His grace.”[1]

Are you allowing God to make you strong by His Spirit so you can experience what it is like to be “held” to “the praise of the glory of His grace?”

“And not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.”  (Colossians 2:19 – NASB)

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[1] Ephesians 1:6

#690 Serving with the Right Heart

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

There are Christians who feel as long as they are serving in some capacity at their local congregations or helping with some non-profit organizations they are okay in serving the Lord.  Many of these are actually performing the services to be seen by others with no thoughts of actually serving the Lord as their reason for doing so.  In other words, they are serving, but not ministering.  While these endeavors are certainly worthy and needed, God desires more from us.  He desires that our service for Him be true ministry with the right hearts, hearts that are devoted to Him with inner desire and willingness on our parts to minister for Him.  God is not fooled:  He knows our hearts and our very thoughts, judging our motives.  We need to be sure we are not only obeying God’s calling to ministry but we are doing so with hearts that are devoted to Him and His calling.

 

Are you serving the Lord with a glad and devoted heart, or just to be seen or recognized by others?

 

“And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind:  for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts.”  (I Chronicles 28:9a)