As we approach Easter, let us think about what Christ resurrection has accomplished for us. Through His resurrection, Christ not only conquered death for us to seal our redemption and eternity with Him, but also made the way for us to live in resurrection power today.
Jesus said: “I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. ----When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” John 16:7, 13-15
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
John 14:12-14
Questions for meditation:
According to these Scriptures, what did Jesus’ resurrection accomplish for us?
How was the Spirit manifested in the life of Christ?
How was the Spirit manifested in the early church?
How is the Spirit manifested in my life?
How can the life of the Spirit be more apparent in me?
In Exodus 33:15-16, Moses makes a profound statement about Israel entering into the Promised Land. "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
The awesome thing about the resurrection is that now the manifest presence of God dwells in us by the Holy Spirit. And it is only the manifest presence of the Spirit that distinguishes you and me from all the people on the face of the earth. This Easter season let us rejoice in the redemptive work of Christ for us that allows the life-transforming, resurrection power of the Spirit to dwell in us.
Andy Clark
Associate Director
World Horizons US Office
www.worldhorizonsusa.org
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
A Cup of Cold Water
Pray for me as I go to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with a team of twelve March 20-29 to help my brother Roger rebuild a church that collapsed in the earthquake, distribute food, and minister to the people. Roger and Margaret have been serving as missionaries in Haiti for twenty-five years. Unless I have the time to do these devotionals from Haiti, this may be my last devotional until the first of April.
As I prayed and meditated on my trip to Haiti ,the Lord brought Matthew 10:42 to mind. “Whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." As a missionary I have often been reminded that the greatest thing we can often do is to spend time with the people whom God has called us to serve. I have sat in many an African hut or home and had a meal or shared a cup of tea. I have put my watch away and dedicated my time to the people that I am with, not as a missionary, or a pastor, or teacher, but as a friend. I believe this is the love language of every culture--food and fellowship.
Jesus preached to the multitudes, healed the sick, cast out demons, and taught his disciples. In the great commission, Jesus calls us to do all of these things. These are all vital areas of ministry that He calls all believers to participate in and which we should not neglect. But Jesus in the midst of His daily ministry took time to eat at Lazarus’s home, Peter’s home, and the homes of tax collectors and sinners.
In Luke 19 Jesus invites himself to Zacchaeus’ home and is accused of being a guest of sinners. At the end of the meal Zacchaeus the tax collector, stands up and makes this announcement. "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." Jesus’ response is “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’ home. When is the last time you invited a sinner into your home, or you have invited yourself into a sinner’s home or to a resturant? Jesus said, “The Son of Man has come to seek---that which was lost.” We can not always wait for the lost to come to us, but we must sometimes seek out the lost and enter their space and their world with Christ’s love. I went with the boss of a job I had to the bar or pub every Friday night after work. After weeks of hanging out with him in the bar, he gave his life to the Lord, his whole family was saved, and they became active soul winners in a local church.
As I go to Haiti to build a church, distribute food, and minister, my greatest desire is to bring a cup of cold water to a thirsty Haitian. Jesus told the immoral Samaritan woman.” Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” She responded "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." John 14:13-15
We are surrounded by people like the Samaritan woman who may have different religious beliefs or lifestyle, but are thirsty for someone with a word of encouragement who cares enough to take time to be with them. Whom can you refresh with a cup of cold water?
Andy Clark
www.andyclarksdevotionals.blogspot.com
As I prayed and meditated on my trip to Haiti ,the Lord brought Matthew 10:42 to mind. “Whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." As a missionary I have often been reminded that the greatest thing we can often do is to spend time with the people whom God has called us to serve. I have sat in many an African hut or home and had a meal or shared a cup of tea. I have put my watch away and dedicated my time to the people that I am with, not as a missionary, or a pastor, or teacher, but as a friend. I believe this is the love language of every culture--food and fellowship.
Jesus preached to the multitudes, healed the sick, cast out demons, and taught his disciples. In the great commission, Jesus calls us to do all of these things. These are all vital areas of ministry that He calls all believers to participate in and which we should not neglect. But Jesus in the midst of His daily ministry took time to eat at Lazarus’s home, Peter’s home, and the homes of tax collectors and sinners.
In Luke 19 Jesus invites himself to Zacchaeus’ home and is accused of being a guest of sinners. At the end of the meal Zacchaeus the tax collector, stands up and makes this announcement. "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." Jesus’ response is “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’ home. When is the last time you invited a sinner into your home, or you have invited yourself into a sinner’s home or to a resturant? Jesus said, “The Son of Man has come to seek---that which was lost.” We can not always wait for the lost to come to us, but we must sometimes seek out the lost and enter their space and their world with Christ’s love. I went with the boss of a job I had to the bar or pub every Friday night after work. After weeks of hanging out with him in the bar, he gave his life to the Lord, his whole family was saved, and they became active soul winners in a local church.
As I go to Haiti to build a church, distribute food, and minister, my greatest desire is to bring a cup of cold water to a thirsty Haitian. Jesus told the immoral Samaritan woman.” Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” She responded "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." John 14:13-15
We are surrounded by people like the Samaritan woman who may have different religious beliefs or lifestyle, but are thirsty for someone with a word of encouragement who cares enough to take time to be with them. Whom can you refresh with a cup of cold water?
Andy Clark
www.andyclarksdevotionals.blogspot.com
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Compassion
Compassion
Matt 9:36-38
“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." NKJV
In the kingdom of God there is a direct connection between compassion and harvest. The success of Jesus ministry was not built upon programs or finances but on the anointing of the Spirit fueled by compassion for people. He had compassion for wealthy, corrupt, tax collectors, prostitutes, as well as poor fisherman, lepers and the destitute. Compassion motivated him to lay down his life, minister for long hours, and to live with almost nothing. Holy Spirit compassion caused him to heal the sick, cast out devils, and bring grace and hope to both wealthy and poor. Compassion drove him to the cross and caused him to cry out for the forgiveness of those who put him there and ridiculed him.
1 John 4:7-8 says: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” God is love! That is his very character and nature. He cannot help but love. His love is not based on human response, circumstances or environment. His love is unconditional because He is love. If we are to touch our world, we need a baptism of God’s love in order to see the world as God sees it and to respond as God would respond. If we are not careful, we become calloused and cynical because of the constant exposure to our sinful world.
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” I Corinthians 13:4-8 Love, joy and peace are fruits of the Spirit. They are not dependent upon our circumstances, environment or response of people. They flow out of our relationship with the Holy Spirit. God is love, and when His nature flows through us we can love the unlovely.
Romans 5:5 says: “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Hope is an expectation from God. Our godly expectations never disappoint us if they are fueled by Holy Spirit love because love believes all things, love hopes all things, love endures all things. Love never ever fails! Love does not seek its own way and thinks no evil. Love is the ability to embrace people where they are at and to continue to pursue them no matter what their response because there is the undying expectation that love will overcome.
God does not love a saint any more than he loves a sinner because He is love. May you know today that God loves you unconditionally, and may He help you to love those around you unconditionally.
Andy Clark
Matt 9:36-38
“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." NKJV
In the kingdom of God there is a direct connection between compassion and harvest. The success of Jesus ministry was not built upon programs or finances but on the anointing of the Spirit fueled by compassion for people. He had compassion for wealthy, corrupt, tax collectors, prostitutes, as well as poor fisherman, lepers and the destitute. Compassion motivated him to lay down his life, minister for long hours, and to live with almost nothing. Holy Spirit compassion caused him to heal the sick, cast out devils, and bring grace and hope to both wealthy and poor. Compassion drove him to the cross and caused him to cry out for the forgiveness of those who put him there and ridiculed him.
1 John 4:7-8 says: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” God is love! That is his very character and nature. He cannot help but love. His love is not based on human response, circumstances or environment. His love is unconditional because He is love. If we are to touch our world, we need a baptism of God’s love in order to see the world as God sees it and to respond as God would respond. If we are not careful, we become calloused and cynical because of the constant exposure to our sinful world.
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” I Corinthians 13:4-8 Love, joy and peace are fruits of the Spirit. They are not dependent upon our circumstances, environment or response of people. They flow out of our relationship with the Holy Spirit. God is love, and when His nature flows through us we can love the unlovely.
Romans 5:5 says: “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Hope is an expectation from God. Our godly expectations never disappoint us if they are fueled by Holy Spirit love because love believes all things, love hopes all things, love endures all things. Love never ever fails! Love does not seek its own way and thinks no evil. Love is the ability to embrace people where they are at and to continue to pursue them no matter what their response because there is the undying expectation that love will overcome.
God does not love a saint any more than he loves a sinner because He is love. May you know today that God loves you unconditionally, and may He help you to love those around you unconditionally.
Andy Clark
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The Unshakable Kingdom
We live in a time of shaking. We have recently had two massive earthquakes, one in Haiti and one in Chile that have claimed the lives of thousands or people, destroyed billions of dollars of property and left millions homeless and without jobs. Though these disasters are unimaginable, they pale in the light of the moral, social, political and economic shaking happening in our world today that is devastating our world and affects every one of us in one measure or another.
The author of Hebrews addresses this shaking in Hebrews 12:25-29:
“Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: "Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also." This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.” NLT
The warning that he gives is to “be careful that we do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking.” This is not a warning to the world but to us, the church. Just as God spoke to the children of Israel in the midst of the shaking at Mount Sinai, God is endeavoring to speak to and through His church in the midst of the shaking our world is going through today. It is crucial that in the midst of the time that we live, that we hear the voice of God like we have never heard the voice of God before. God is trying to speak to us to give us the way to respond to the ever-changing world in which we live.
It may not be that we are refusing to hear the voice of “the One who is speaking.” He is speaking but we often fail to hear him because of the business of life, the pressures we are under, the noisy demands of those around us, and even the noisy demands from within ourselves. We are so inundated with information that the voice of God cannot be heard or clearly distinguished. Jesus said in John 10 that “his sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” John 10:3NKJV
Abraham heard and responded to God’s voice and brought blessings to the nations. Moses heard God’s voice and delivered a people group. Peter heard God’s voice on the roof of his home and brought salvation to Cornelius’s house. Paul heard the voice of Jesus and impacted his world in a time of political, social and moral decay. Hearing and obeying the voice of God is not very convenient. Each of these men’s lives was radically impacted by the voice of God. It shook their world, their theology and way of life. The voice of God takes us out of our comfort zone into the faith zone where God operates.
The unshakable kingdom is built on the word of the King. “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.” May God’s voice sustain you and empower you today to walk out His will.
Andy Clark
Associate Director
World Horizons US Office
www.worldhorizonsusa.org
The author of Hebrews addresses this shaking in Hebrews 12:25-29:
“Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: "Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also." This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.” NLT
The warning that he gives is to “be careful that we do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking.” This is not a warning to the world but to us, the church. Just as God spoke to the children of Israel in the midst of the shaking at Mount Sinai, God is endeavoring to speak to and through His church in the midst of the shaking our world is going through today. It is crucial that in the midst of the time that we live, that we hear the voice of God like we have never heard the voice of God before. God is trying to speak to us to give us the way to respond to the ever-changing world in which we live.
It may not be that we are refusing to hear the voice of “the One who is speaking.” He is speaking but we often fail to hear him because of the business of life, the pressures we are under, the noisy demands of those around us, and even the noisy demands from within ourselves. We are so inundated with information that the voice of God cannot be heard or clearly distinguished. Jesus said in John 10 that “his sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” John 10:3NKJV
Abraham heard and responded to God’s voice and brought blessings to the nations. Moses heard God’s voice and delivered a people group. Peter heard God’s voice on the roof of his home and brought salvation to Cornelius’s house. Paul heard the voice of Jesus and impacted his world in a time of political, social and moral decay. Hearing and obeying the voice of God is not very convenient. Each of these men’s lives was radically impacted by the voice of God. It shook their world, their theology and way of life. The voice of God takes us out of our comfort zone into the faith zone where God operates.
The unshakable kingdom is built on the word of the King. “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.” May God’s voice sustain you and empower you today to walk out His will.
Andy Clark
Associate Director
World Horizons US Office
www.worldhorizonsusa.org
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)