Be Earnest

 

Be Earnest That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. Romans 1:15 Be earnest. Intense earnestness, a whole heart for Christ, and a passion for the cross—this is what the Lord expects. This is what His sacrifice deserves, what the world needs, and what our time calls for. Everything around us is alive with intensity. Life is earnest, death is earnest, sin is earnest, people are earnest, business is earnest, knowledge is earnest. God forgive us if we are the only ones trifling in the heat of this crisis that we call life and living! Oh, for a baptism of fire! Oh, for a life possessed by God, fully surrendered, grasping God’s great purpose of salvation in Christ Jesus! Yes, this world is constantly in crisis. In our prayers we should be asking, and begging God to send a Great Awakening as He has in times past. This generation has desperate need of it. All the world for Jesus My prayer shall be, And my watchword ever, Himself for me. From Days of Heaven by A.B. Simpson.

 

To Every Man His Work

 

To Every Man His Work Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Psalm 37:3 I read a short story in a devotion book about a godly man who accomplished superhuman things during his lifetime. He worked for the YMCA for a year: they had 57 members and when he left, he had recruited 1000 members. He started a Bible study in a poor part of town, and within three years it was a thriving church with 3000 members. He started a department store and it was the biggest one in town. Then he built another which was the biggest department store in the world. His weekly Bible study was attended by 4000 people. And, to top it all off, he also served as U.S. Postmaster General, though I can't imagine how he found the time! This story was supposed to be a devotional reading, but by the time I finished, I was upset. What is the point of this? To make all the rest of us little people feel like utter failures? Because that's exactly how I felt. The New Testament tells us a different story: not of superhuman successes but of ordinary people who put their lives on the line and simply did what God told them to do next. They didn't acquire great wealth or fame. All of the disciples of Jesus lived in hard conditions and died as outcasts. They are an entirely different kind of example. Their lives are characterized by one word: they obeyed. Whatever Jesus told them to do, they did it. And that's exactly what Jesus asks of us.   The man in the story above was used by God in remarkable ways. But it's the heroes of the Bible who constantly inspire me. I believe this is why Jesus lived the extraordinary humble life of service that He did: so we could identify with Him. To every man his work. Mark 13:34 He does the most for God’s great world who does the best in his own little world. D.L. Moody

 

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