Tag: living testimony

In Complete Harmony with the Work of Our Savior

John 3:30
He must increase, but I must decrease.

John the Baptist had the perfect understanding of His relationship with Jesus Christ. He knew that he was a sinful man who was created, prepared and sent to show the way for the One from Above who was coming to save the world. He understood that he had no power and that all the power belonged to Jesus. Most importantly, John was completely satisfied with his place and the work assigned to him.

From the life of John the Baptist we get a great model for bringing others to salvation. It is our job to bring others to Christ. It is not our job to save them. The saving work of the Cross will be done by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We also learn from the words of John the Baptist the model for our spiritual maturation. We must increase our life in Christ as we allow our life in the flesh to decrease. We must allow our new man to rise and our old man to die. We do not lay down what we are called to do in the flesh, but instead come in complete harmony with the work of the beloved One who dwells within us.

Let us free ourselves from the idea that our job is to save others. Let us introduce others to Jesus and let them see the impact of His presence in our lives so that they are drawn to Him. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to prepare the hearts of those around us so that they will be open to receiving their Savior King, Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Holy Word which lays out the models for our lives through the lives of Your servants spoken of in the Bible. Help us, Lord, to understand the depth of the teachings that come from each of Your precious servants. Open our eyes, Lord, so that we may surrender our lives completely to Your Son, Jesus. Help us, Lord, to live our lives in such a way that others are drawn to Your Son. As we give up our lives in the flesh for our lives in Christ, bring others to us to be introduced to Jesus. May our living testimonies affect the world. We pray that we see many around us surrender their lives to the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. We ask all of these things in the name of Our Divine Deliver, Jesus Christ.

Reflecting Christ in Our Lives

1 Corinthians 9:22
To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.

Paul shared with the Corinthians his passion to carry out the good work of delivering the message of salvation to all men. He emphasized that this required him to be a servant to all men, regardless of their stature or their spiritual state. In doing so, he was also teaching them that carrying the gospel to all men was their calling also.

God calls people to all walks of life to insure that His gospel message is spread to the world. He calls some to full time ministry, but most are not. Most of us are called to traditional occupations and lifestyles where the Lord wants us to let Christ be revealed by the way we live and by the way we treat others.

God wishes for our messages of love, compassion and forgiveness to be the same whether we are in a boardroom or in a maintenance shop, whether we are in a health club or in a hospital, whether we are at a church function or in the visiting room of a prison. He wants our messaging system to be on non-stop.

Let us surrender our lives to Our Savior. Let us allow the gentle urgings of the Holy Spirit to draw spiritual production from us within the structure of our natural lives. Let us strive to have our living testimonies become pathways to salvation for others.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the perfect love, compassion and forgiveness that You pour out onto each of us. We praise the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to become vessels of Your grace. We pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten us and invigorate us to carry the salvation message with us as we walk through our daily lives. May we bear fruit for Your kingdom wherever our paths on earth lead us. We ask all these things in the name of the Tower of Salvation, Jesus Christ.

Relinquishing Our Control

Matthew 5:40
And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.

Jesus’ instructions to His disciples was simple enough. It just does not make sense to us and it probably did not make sense to them. It is not natural for us to bear an injury for the sake of peace. In the flesh, it is difficult for us to meet this standard.

As we become disciples of Jesus Christ, we learn to commit our concerns to the Lord. We learn to avoid the disputes that our flesh would demand. We come to recognize through the supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit that our flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God. Only our spirit will find its resting place with the Father. And it will be our spirit that will find supernatural peace and comfort on this earth when we follow the principles that Our Lord teaches.

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ cannot be carried out in the flesh. God does not start with our natural ability and build on it. He only asks that we rely on His grace and submit to the presence and the supernatural work of the One that dwells within us. And as He promises, His grace is sufficient.

Let us relinquish all the power that we think we have in the flesh in exchange for the supernatural power that we receive in the spirit through Jesus Christ. Let us strive to be spirit-filled, fully empowered disciples of Our Lord, Our Master and Our King.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the all-sufficient grace that You provide that allows us to live as disciples of Your Son, Jesus. We humbly acknowledge, Father, that You do not see us as who we are today or who we have been. We rejoice in knowing that You see us as who we are in Christ. We pray, Lord Jesus, that You will walk by our side and lead us to the way of peace. We ask that You show us how to draw the world to You through our living testimony as Your disciples. We ask all these things in the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

Strength Perfected in our Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

At times, we all experience things in our lives that make us feel like we are not strong enough to overcome. At times, we all are tempted in such a way that it feels like we are near faltering. Rejoice!! We are in the perfect position to have Jesus provide all that we need for victory. He is just waiting for us to recognize our weakness and call on Him to draw on His resources.

The apostle Paul was told by Jesus that Jesus’ strength was sufficient for all of Paul’s needs. Jesus emphasized to Paul that His power was made perfect in Paul’s weakness. Paul recognized this truth and leaned upon it through all of his trials. He became the most prolific writer in the bible and led the way of evangelizing the gentile world to Christianity.

When we come to recognize that there is nothing in us that is worthy without Jesus Christ, we open the way for His perfecting work in our lives. When we humble ourselves before Our Savior, we build on our relationship with the One who seeks to perfect us. Through it all, in spite of our weaknesses, the evidence of His presence in our lives becomes visible for all to see. We must be ever mindful that it is not about the work that we do for ourselves. It is about the relationship we have with Jesus that releases victory in our lives.

Let us surrender to Our Savior King. Let us present our weaknesses to Him so that He may perfect His strengths in our lives. Let us become living testimonies to His power.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the grace that You pour into our lives through Your Son, Jesus. We seek the power of Your grace in our lives. We ask forgiveness for the times that we by-passed Your grace in order to operate out of our own perceived strength. We pray that Holy Spirit will aid us in leaning on You for all of our needs and guiding us in all that we do. May Your strength be perfected in our weakness. We ask all these things in the name of the Strength of the Needy, Jesus Christ.

Letting Jesus Show in Our Lives

1 John 3:18
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

There is an old adage that states that actions speak louder than words. Nowhere is the old adage more applicable than in our living testimony. No one wants to learn about Jesus from us if they have not seen Jesus in our lives.

Our greatest orations will never win a soul without a visible expression in our lives that we are living what we are preaching and teaching. Let those around us see the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When others see these things, they will seek the source. We will not have to say a word to entice them.

Jesus understood human nature completely. Thus He labored constantly among the people, showing them His perfect love and forgiveness. His living testimony drew people to the message that He had come to deliver. We can do the same if we labor in deed and in truth.

Let us serve one another and bear one another’s burdens. Let us build up one another in faith and minister to those around us with cheerfulness. Let us draw others to Jesus through our living testimony.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for providing Your Son as a living example of the way, the truth and the life that You intend for us to accept and to proclaim. Blessed is the name of Jesus who surrendered all so that we may be drawn to Him, receive Him as Our Savior and allow His presence to flow through us to the world around us. We pray that our lives will become living testimonies of the One who dwells within us. We ask all these things in the name of the Prince of Life and Peace, Jesus Christ.

Thirsting for Christ

Psalm 63:1
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Most people who study the Bible find David to be one of the most intriguing characters in all of the Old Testament. It is likely that he is so interesting to most of us because he is a character of such contrast. We learn that He was passionately devoted to God as evidenced by today’s passage. But on the other hand, we find that he was guilty of some of the most grievous sins written of in the entire Bible. We learn that David was a mighty and courageous warrior that won many battles because of His favor with the Lord. But conversely, we find that he was at his weakest when he was fighting his own personal battles in the flesh. David’s emotional highs and lows are well chronicled by David himself in the Book of Psalms. His writings provide us with some of the most heart-warming and inspiring poetry written anywhere in the Bible.

As we struggle through the challenges of daily life, the way God views David offers hope for all of us. Of David, the Lord said, “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” We can be comforted in knowing that there is nothing that we can do to cause Our Heavenly Father to love us less. His love and forgiveness are perfectly paired and extended to us without end. Our Lord is particularly pleased when, like David, we come to Him with praise even in our darkest hours.

Let us go boldly to the Throne of God, particularly when we find ourselves in a dry or weary place. Let us sing our praises to our precious Lord. Let us be strengthened by knowing that Almighty God delights in seeing us come through our trials in loving obedience to His calling on our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect love and forgiveness. We sing Your praises knowing that even when we have fallen that Your love for us never fails. We bless the name of Jesus through Whom we are separated from our sin. We ask that Your Holy Spirit will inspire us to thirst for You in the passionate, intimate way that David did. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will strengthen us to walk in obedience to all that You ask us to do. We long to be called men and women after Your own heart. We ask all these things in the name of the living testimony of the love of God, Jesus Christ.

Releasing the Light Within Us

2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

We are commanded to preach the Word of God. We are commanded to be prepared to preach the Word. Are we ready?

Jesus Christ, the Living Word, came to earth to teach about His Father in heaven and to reveal the salvation plan. A large portion of His message was presented through the way that He lived and loved among the people. He used His miracles to exhibit His love and to gain attention for His message – especially for those that would not listen to His message otherwise.

So it is with us. Because most of the world now has hardened hearts for the spoken Word, we must draw them to the Word by the way that we live our lives. Our living testimony of the miracle that occurred in our lives through Jesus Christ must be the message that those around us see day in and day out. Once they see the miraculous way that our lives have changed and they see the joy that we have regardless of circumstances, the comfort we have regardless of our trials and the love that we share through good times and bad, they will be drawn to the fount that sustains us. The way we live will say more and teach more than we could convey with eloquent speech. To preach the Word is more about how we live than how we orate.

Let us live in the fullness and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let the world be drawn to Our Savior by our living testimonies.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the living presence of Your Son in our lives. We bless the name of Jesus who dwells within us so that we may be vessels of His perfect love. We pray that we may become broken vessels, surrendered to Our Savior, so that the world may be drawn to Him by the Light that lives within us and shines forth from us. Once those around us have been drawn to us by the lives in Christ that we are living, we pray that You give us the strength and the boldness to proclaim the gospel. We ask that You open the ears of those around us and prepare their hearts to receive their Savior. We ask all these things in the mighty name of the One who gives grace to the humble, Jesus Christ.

Bond Servants to Our King

Romans 1:1
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

In one simple statement, Paul points out three revealing things about himself. It is important to understand that these three things apply to all Christians.

  • We are called to be servants of Jesus Christ.
  • We are all called to some specific purpose for which God created us.
  • We are all separated unto the gospel of God.

When studying the original writings, it is suggested that the word that was used for servant was actually quite a bit stronger. It was rendered in the original text as “bond servant” which means someone who is subject to the will and wholly at the disposal of another. Thus, we are called not only as servants to Jesus Christ, but as bond servants to Our King.

As His bond servants, each of us are called to a specific purpose in service to His kingdom. But according to His will, we are also “separated unto the gospel of God.” We must realize that the redemption that we have received through the grace and mercy of Almighty God has separated us from who we were. We are now righteous because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf. We are proclaimers of the Good News through our spoken words and our living testimony.

Let us strive to find our calling in Christ. Let us ask the Lord to reveal to us how He wishes to use us to proclaim His Gospel and to serve in His kingdom. Let us surrender to His will.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for separating us from the world through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus. We bless His name for the blood that He shed so that we could live in the spirit and not in the flesh. We pray, Father, for the grace to abandon our old lives. We ask that You help us to understand the fullness of the redemption that You have provided us through Your Son. We beseech You to give us the courage and the strength to proclaim Your Good News to those that you have placed in our lives. May the world see that we have been separated unto You, Lord, and that we are living as bond servants to You. We ask all these things in the name of our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.

Path of Intercession or Contempt?

Psalm 123:3
Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.

Every day the world around us seems to get more contentious and contemptuous. Webster defines contempt as “feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn.” We see dramatic outpourings of contempt in the news and throughout social media. We certainly recognize the contempt that unbelievers often have for our faith as disciples of Jesus Christ. As a result of the contempt that we encounter, hopefully we are quick to ask the Lord to open the eyes of those around us so that their scorn for us is replaced by a desire to learn from us the way, the truth and the life that we have in Jesus. But is that the case?

When we are out in the world, how are we reacting to those that annoy us? Are we taking an intercessory path or are we treating them with contempt? Are we losing our testimony because of an ugly glare or quick nasty comment that destroys our message of salvation? Are we leaving the world with a taste of our nasty attitude instead of the love of the One who we have accepted as Our Savior?

Let us be fully aware that the world is filled with contempt, but as Christians we are not of this world. Let us refuse to be swamped by the cares and challenges of life. Let us turn over the annoyances that we run into in the world and let God handle them in the courts of heaven. Let us ask the Lord to give us discernment in all things so that we are known by our intercession and not by our criticism. Let us exchange our contempt for others with our loving care for others.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your mercy that You have extended to us so that we may be able to extend mercy to others. We praise the name of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who is our Mediator who stands for us to correct every wrong and every injury as any good master would do for his slave. We pray, Lord, that we will not faint under our trials in this world, but we will look unto the name of Jesus in faith and in prayer so that we may be vessels of His perfect love and forgiveness so that the world may know Him by our actions. We ask all these things in the name of Our Merciful Lord, Jesus Christ.

The Visible Expression of Jesus

1 John 3:18
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

There is an old adage that states that actions speaker louder than words. Nowhere is the old adage more applicable than in our living testimony. No one wants to learn about Jesus from us if they have not seen Jesus in our lives.

Our greatest orations will never win a soul without a visible expression in our lives that we are living what we are preaching and teaching. Let those around us see the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When others see these things, they will seek the source. We will not have to say a word to entice them.

Jesus understood human nature completely. Thus He labored constantly among the people, showing them His perfect love and forgiveness. His living testimony drew people to the message that He had come to deliver. We can do the same if we labor in deed and in truth.

Let us serve one another and bear one another’s burdens. Let us build up one another in faith and minister to those around us with cheerfulness. Let us draw others to Jesus through our living testimony.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for providing Your Son as a living example of the way, the truth and the life that You intend for us to accept and to proclaim. Blessed is the name of Jesus who surrendered all so that we may be drawn to Him, receive Him as Our Savior and allow His presence to flow through us to the world around us. We pray that our lives will become living testimonies of the One who dwells within us. We ask all these things in the name of the Prince of Life and Peace, Jesus Christ.