Meditation

03/17/2020

“Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O Lord; I will sing praises to your name.” (Psalm 9:11)

Beloved, God’s message must be shared everywhere. The gospel makes an impact in the marketplaces of life, even in the courts of government.

Kings and rulers, along with all people, are to be warned so they may become wise unto salvation. That is the evangelistic responsibility of all who have been transformed by God’s salvation. Those who trust in God for their refuge are blessed, and also charged with the responsibility to carry the message to others.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:

Precious Abba, so often You have heard Your children claim they are Yours and rejoice in the salvation that You provide all of us. Unfortunately, too many think this means they are to bask in Your love and grace and forgiveness, and feel they only need wait for Jesus to return. This is not only immature, Abba, it is irresponsible to think that we are not to do anything else! Help us all, to remember that as Christians, we are to take the message of salvation to all others around us, no matter how uncomfortable it might make us feel, because this in response to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection for our sakes. It is in His name we that we pray. Amen.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“Giving is sowing and God promises a harvest!”

KNOWING GOD:

“Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.’” (Acts 16:16-17)

Paul seized every opportunity to minister the gospel of Christ and excluded no one from hearing the message. This example of the demon-possessed woman is a classic example of evangelism in the marketplace, that is, witnessing in the daily routine of life. It was costly to Paul. He was thrown in prison. Even that resulted in the conversion of the Philippian jailor and his family. God honors witnessing in the marketplaces of our lives.

I AM:

“Paul entered the synagogue (Ephesus) and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.” (Acts 19:8–10)

The synagogue excluded Paul, but he turned the defeat into new evangelistic strategy. He held public discussions in a famous lecture hall normally used by secular educators. His powerful presentations attracted audiences throughout the province. The gospel spread from the urban cent outwards as people reported their experiences with Paul and his Savior! Beloved, the greatest teachers do not always have perfect success. Teaching the truth often leads to rejection, opposition, and hardship. Teaching success is marked by faithfulness to the task, not by public popularity.

Second Thought of the Day:

“See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I ell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.” (Matthew 18:10-14)

Jesus’ own tender, loving interest in the little children, who are so often overlooked by the adult world, is but a reflection of the loving nature of His Heavenly Father. Jesus described the Father as One with great interest for the least and last person on the earth. He used the picture of a shepherd leaving the ninety-nine sheep safely in the fold while going into the wilderness to find the one what is lost.

Jesus called His followers and us to leave the security of the worship place and go after that one lost sheep. The ninety-nine in the fold are important, but God seeks the wanderer. We should seek the lost wherever in life’s circumstances we may find them. We should search the most difficult places to find and witness to the lost. God loves them all and desires their salvation, just as much as the ninety-nine. Understand?