Word for Today, Thu, 29 Jul 2004: Sharpening Our Faith
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Dear friends,
Today's message is about developing and cultivating our
relationship with God and fully depending on Him. The story
tells about how inferior tools just do not get the job done. So
it is in our relationships, especially our personal relationship
with God.
If we depend on someone in our family, our mother, our father,
our pastor, our neighbor, or our best friend to step in for us in
our relationship with God, it just doesn't work. We certainly do
want those people to pray for us, and we want to pray for them,
but when it comes to our relationship with God, that is a
personal matter, one that is between us and Him. Each of us
needs to spend our own time with God.
I urge you to read this message, then spend some private time
with God as soon as you are done reading. If you haven't been
spending private, individual time with Him, this might be a good
opportunity to admit that to Him. It would be a good time to
discuss anything with God!
For me, I always want to take time to praise God. I always have
needs, and I don't hesitate to ask God to help me, I have to
remember, however, that God is not just great because He answers
me when I pray, God is great because of who He is. I praise God
as the One who made the vast land, the great and powerful sea,
the One who spoke and the waters were formed, the One who is the
author of all creation, the only One who created by simply saying
the Word. My God is the One who sent His Son to show me the
extent of His love - for me, for you.
God, I thank You for all of these things that give me a glimpse
of who You are. As I marvel at You and at Your works, I praise
You and appreciate You for who You are! I long to know You
more! Be with me and near me, Dear Lord. Continually remind me
of Your Presence, for it is I who wander from You. Forgive me
for my wandering heart. Direct my thoughts, my paths, and my
ways, that I may be ever near you, even now.
Yours in Christ,
Brian
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PCCWeb Daily
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Today's Devotional
Hacksaw
Matthew 17:14-20 - And when they came to the crowd, a man came
up to him and, kneeling before him, said, "Lord, have mercy on
my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For
often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I
brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him." And
Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am
I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here
to me." And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him,
and the boy was healed instantly. Then the disciples came to
Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" He
said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to
you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will
say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will
move, and nothing will be impossible for you." (ESV)
The other day, I attempted to shorten a screw using a small
hacksaw. However, after I had used the hacksaw for about twenty
seconds, it seemed that my efforts had ceased to make any
meaningful impact. Before the commencement of the task, I had
replaced the existing blade with a new one, so I was surprised
at my lack of advancement through the screw.
Upon further investigation, including putting my glasses on, I
noticed that the hacksaw blade's teeth had been worn off
completely, clean as a whistle! It was then that I remembered
that I had bought them from a bargain store, many blades for a
very little amount of money. Admittedly, they did not have any
writing on them to say that they were hardened steel; I had just
assumed it because the ones I buy usually are.
Having reverted to an alternative hacksaw with a proper hardened
blade in it from my toolbox, I completed the task.
It was only later, during communion, that the significance of my
experience bubbled to the surface, and I perceived that perhaps
there was more to this than just the poor quality of components.
What the event had to say was that sometimes God asks us to do
things that cannot be completed by the use of our inherent
natural gifts alone. I believe that our effectiveness as
Christians is dependent upon a faith that is real and mature,
and in a right relationship with God Who expects dialogue. This
faith grows and is hardened in the fire of experience, giving us
"teeth" that cut, rather than ones that melt away under
pressure!
Prayer: Lord, forgive us when our faith becomes tokenism, facile
and untried. Increase our faith today so that by Your grace and
authority we might be able to move mountains in Your name. We
rejoice that Your love for us has prevailed again when we
doubted. Amen.
Written by: Rod Marshall mailto:rmarshall@glos.ac.uk from
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
Colossians 4:2-18
http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?passage=Colossians+4:2-18
You can find PCCWeb Daily online at
daily.presbycan.ca/email.
=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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