Good morning Wednesday! Today is January 19th, 2022. In the past, some people, pastors, and friends asked me why at my age, was I starting another church? My answer was, “Because the Lord had need of it.” I know it sounds trite, but read on …
Today's Reading:
Genesis 47,48; Psalms 10; Luke 19
Scripture
“As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord hath need of it.’” (Luke 19:29-31)
Observation
Jesus is still choosing men and women, and He is issuing calls out to potential disciples to follow Him. One of the main characteristics He is looking for is those who don’t need a million reasons to obey, nor do they require an excessive amount of convincing. Even though the Kingdom of God is a world-class vision, it seems like people are still unsure how much they want to jump in. Some will dive in with passion. Others will wade into their waist, but no further. Others will be satisfied just to dangle their feet near the water’s edge. Still, others will spend their lives studying the water, the kinds of plant life that live beneath it, the currents, how it might change, and where it will flow. But they never jump in. Long ago, when I read this portion, I felt a tug by the Holy Spirit when He said, “If the Lord needs it done, that’s reason enough to follow wholeheartedly!”
Application
God cannot use me if my heart is strewn with doubts or my spirit crowded with my personal agenda. If God has need of me or any of my gifts, I will develop and refine my skills so that He has more of me to use! If I am a dunce, or undisciplined, or full of excuses, He will only be able to use a fraction of my life … when there was yet so much more He could have used!
One day, when we see Him face to face, we will be so very glad we served with all our hearts. There’s an old hymn that says: “By and by when I look on His face, His beautiful face, His thorn-shadowed face. By and by when I look on His face, I’ll wish I would have served Him more.”
There will come a day when we will no longer have the opportunity to serve Him. But, since none of us know when that day will be, the time to serve Him is today! I have never heard a testimony of a dying saint who wished they had not spent so much of their life serving God, but I have heard of many who regretted not giving Him more…
Prayer
Jesus, if You have need of me, I will definitely say “yes.” Your call on my heart is reason enough to move forward. My prayer is that our church … and every church… will be seen as “Beautiful” in Your eyes — and like that Palm Sunday morning, we will be the gate that gives entrance to the King. And by and by when we look back, we can say, “It all began when the Lord said, ‘I have need of thee’ … and that was reason enough for us to begin!”
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