A Faith Lamp {Read Matthew 25:1-13}

Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves (Matt. 25:9).

There are many things in life other people can do for you. An architect can design a house for you; a building contractor can build it for you; the service station can service or repair your car; a medical doctor can treat your illness. One thing, however, you must do for yourself - believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. There is no way that your faith lamp will burn with someone else's oil.

     For some people, all their lives they are part of the wedding procession of the Lamb, but their hearts are never completely involved. Then, panic-stricken in their crisis hour, in terror of dying, they call for help. Then they cling to mother or father; to husband or wife; to church or preacher. "Give us some oil - it's getting dark around us." It is of no consequence if these people want to help them. What matters here is what they cannot do. Salvation cannot be divided. A parent can't believe for their child, a friend cannot be converted on behalf of a friend. Each of us must perform our own act of faith. You get this oil only if you go anf buy it for yourself.

     Thus we are cast back on to God - the only One we can receive faith oil from. He charges us nothing - the price has already been paid  (see Isa. 55:1). We cannot borrow this oil, steal or beg for it. We must have our own personal certainty of faith.

     We may have beautiful lamps - all the outward forms of religion - but if we don't have faith oil, our lamps will go out and we remain unsaved. Only God can keep us from that disaster if we come to Him in time.  

YOU CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS

YOU CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS. If I am truly your Master, you will desire to please Me above all others. If pleasing people is your goal, you will be enslaved to them. People can be harsh taskmasters when you give them this power over you.
     If I am the Master of your life, I will also be your First Love. Your serving Me is rooted and grounded in My vast, unconditional Love for you. The lower you bow down before Me, the higher I lift you up into intimate relationship with Me. The Joy of living in My Presence outshines all other pleasures. I want you to reflect My joyous Light by living in increasing intimacy with Me.

MATTHEW 6:24; REVELATION 2:4; EPHESIANS 3:16-17; PSALM 16:11

Spiritual Maturity {Read Colossians 2:6-15}

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him and you will overflow with thankfulness (Col. 2:6-7).

One of the dark clouds hovering over the Church of Christ is the large number of immature disciples - people who claim to love Jesus, but because their love lacks substance, their witnessing is ineffective. They need to be fed milk because they are still babies in the faith, though they should have already have been on solid food long ago.

     These people gave their lives to Jesus with great sincerity, but there was no spiritual development. The Word tells us to evaluate our spiritual progress in all honesty. The point of departure for spiritual growth is primarily a personal meeting with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. God leads us to the Word incarnate through His Word. We dare not stop short at this meeting, but allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to deeper knowledge of the Living Christ.

     In doing so, we gradually reach spiritual willingness to discipline and feed our thoughts from the sources God has made available to us: His Word, prayer, meditation, worship and spiritual conversations. This leads to increasing obedience to His will as the Spirit reveals it in our hearts. Without us being aware of it, the image of Christ is revealed more and more in our lives as we grow toward spiritual maturity. Our faith blooms to the enrichment and adornment of that part of earth we occupy in His name. 

LIVING IN DEPENDENCE ON ME

LIVING IN DEPENDENCE ON ME is the way to enjoy abundant life. You are learning to appreciate tough times because they amplify your awareness of My Presence. Tasks that you used to dread are becoming rich opportunities to enjoy My closeness. When you feel tired, you remember that I am your Strength; you take pleasure in leaning on Me. I am pleased by your tendency to turn to Me more and more frequently, especially when you are alone.
     When you are with other people, you often lose sight of My Presence. Your fear of displeasing people puts you in bondage to them, and they become your primary focus. When you realize this has happened, whisper My Name; this tiny act of trust brings Me to the forefront of your consciousness, where I belong. As you bask in the blessing of My nearness, My life can flow through you to others. This is abundant life!

PROVERBS 29:25;  JOHN 10:10

Shallow Spiritual Water {Read Luke 5:1-11}

When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish" (Luke 5:4).

Jesus gave the above instruction to His despondent disciples. They had been fishing all night, without success. Despite physical fatigue, disappointment and the fact that they knew Jesus was not a fisherman, they obeyed Him.

     Christ gave us His Spirit in our hearts to make us holy. He calls on His followers to venture bravely into deeper spiritual waters, and not flounder in shallow muddy water. Too many of His children waste their spiritual strength on the surface, without ever reaching for the abundant depths.

     Like the early church of Laodicea, we are neither nor cold. Because we are lukewarm, we cannot reach, or make use of, the full depths of the life that Christ has in mind for us through His Spirit.

     If this is happening in your spiritual life at the moment, make a decisive and honest effort to do something about it. Be as serious in your approach to your spiritual growth as the situation deserves. Ask the Spirit to let you take to heart the challenge in John 15:4-5: "Remain in Me ... you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me." Don't settle for second best. If His Spirit leads you to the full depths of your relationship with your Savior, you will be rich and strong, surging forward to where Christ wants to take you and use you. 

YOU ARE ON THE PATH

YOU ARE ON THE PATH of My choosing. There is no randomness about your life. Here and Now comprise the coordinates of your daily life. Most people let their moments slip through their fingers, half-lived. They avoid the present by worrying about the future or longing for a better time and place. They forget that they are creatures who are subject to the limitations of time and space. They forget their Creator, who walks with them only in the present.
     Every moment is alive with My glorious Presence, to those whose hearts are intimately connected with Mine. As you give yourself more and more to a life of constant communion with Me, you will find that you simply have no time for worry. Thus, you are freed to let My Spirit direct your steps, enabling you to walk along the path of Peace.

LUKE 12:25-26; LUKE 1:79 

Prayer for May 2017

Holy God, we worship You as the Giver of new life. Blow through our lives, O Spirit. Cleanse us of all contamination and impure thoughts; of lack of love, selfishness and intolerance. Give new life to our entire being. Blow through the hearts of all who are distressed. You are the Comforter that the Savior promised to the sad. Raise them up who snap under the burden of their sorrows and give them new courage for life. Blow through Your church, O Spirit, and bring a God-willed revival. Transform communities that work out of love for You and make Sundays of everyday life. Blow, O Spirit, through our country, its leaders and all its people. Work in a powerful way for reconciliation, tolerance and peace. Let the Father's name be glorified, Christ's attitude live in us, and let Your fruit, O Spirit, become visible in our lives. Be, O Spirit of God, to all of us, the breath of a truly Christian life. In the name of our Risen Savior, Jesus the Living Christ.

Amen.