Saturday, December 08, 2007 "The Glory, is it worth it?"

Saturday, December 08, 2007

"The Glory, is it worth it?"

From Julie's Keyboard:

On Commitment....... (ouch!)

Hello Friends,

Many of you will remember the days when, "A man's word was his bond." Or, any transaction or agreement of any type could be sealed with the simple "hand shake."

I wonder if it could ever be possible to live with such ideas of honor any more? After all, attorneys would have little to be compensated for if there were no papers involved.

How many times this week have you found yourself in a situation where someone didn't come through on their end of the deal? Actually, we probably just factor this into our lives anymore. If the plumber tells you he'll be there next week, look for him about a month from now. If you plan a special dinner with your particular group and make it "potluck", you're going to need all the "luck" you can get. (Count on doing a lot of cooking yourself.) Maybe you invite someone to your church and they take all the details of the event and plan to see you there, and of course, never show. They probably really did forget when it came time to go. Let's face it. There are too many things in this life to distract us from almost anything we plan or have intentions of doing.

But what does this say for our level of commitment? What does it teach our children?
Hey, we're all busy folks, right? There's none who appreciate the insinuation that "well you have more time than I." Yet, there's one point from which we should not be able to take issue.

If we are Chirst's, we all have a mandate to be commited to His Word. If we can't commit to anything else in this life and hold true to our word in integrity, we must begin with God's Word. Making the Bible prime in our daily lives will give us the needed sucess to live a life of commitment midst a challenging world where folks disappoint us left and right. If I would desire to see commitment in others, I must ask myself just what level of commitment eminates from my ownself.

Christ Himself called us "salt and light" in His Word. When you think of some of the things these descriptions entail, light shows the way and illuminates our path; and salt adds seasoning and preserves. Wow, if we're given such places of responsiblity in this world and fail to reflect His commission in our role of life, what will we see all around us? Could we be seeing it already?

You may have guessed. I've had a challenging week with folks showing a great lack of commitment and causing me some inconvience. But before I could complain or be tempted to do so, I must check my own level of commitment. Guess what? It could use some work too.
Let me leave you with this to say on the matter. After all, It's the final authority.

Matthew 5:13-16

"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Ye are the light of the world, A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Let you light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Have a blessed week,
Julie

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"The Glory, is it worth it?"

The wife of a prominently well known evangelist recently said, “In retreat, I asked God to show me His glory, and instead He showed me my sin.”

There is a scripture that comes to mind in my reflection of that statement.

Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Isa 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Isa 6:4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Isa 6:5 Then said I, (not before this experience but after) Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

It seems as the human soul begins to seek out the glory of God and God begins to respond and draw closer and reveal Himself. The light of His Glory begins to shine upon and reveal the hidden things that even we ourselves were previously unable to see or discern.

Yet a person who truly desires to find his or her purpose in the heart of God does not draw back, but will continue to press into his present through repentance until God’s image he reflects.
It seems we have come to a point in the church were repentance is reserved only for the unsaved, but repentance is to be a daily part of the Christian’s life as he continually presses into more of God’s revealing light.

If we find ourselves content with our relationship with God, we need to press a little further into the light!

Evan Roberts was not a high powered preacher nor a great theologian. He had never been to Bible college or seminary. In fact, he had left school at the age of 11 to help his father work in the coal mine. He was not an eloquent speaker or a philosopher. He was just a coal miner.

But he began studying the great revivals of history and decided to press into this light and Glory of God. He started pressing, praying often in tears and anguish to see that kind of revival in his own nation and in his time.

Later at the age of 26 he would write, “For 10 or 11 years I have prayed for revival . . . I could sit up all night to read or talk about revivals.” History has credited Evan Roberts as being the spark that ignited the Welsh Revival.

Do we desire this for our nation? Is the soul of America worth the tears and anguish of pressing into God’s Glory through repentance as He brings to light the hidden things in our own hearts not right with Him? If the result of one man, Evan Roberts, giving himself to this purpose could bring hundreds of thousands into this life of God, why not us? Why not America? Why not now? What if it took 10 years, 20 years, would it not be worth it? What price can we put on the soul of a nation?

The great Bible teacher R. A. Torrey once said, “I can give a prescription that will bring revival . . . to any church, or community, or any city on earth.

First: Let a few Christians get thoroughly right with God. If this is not done, the rest will come to nothing.

Second: Let them bind themselves together to pray for revival until God opens the windows of heaven and comes down.

Third: Let them put themselves at the disposal of God for His use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ . . . That is all. It cannot fail.”

May God bless each of you,

David