We are His Representatives

"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors…"
(2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV)

As believers in Jesus, we are called to be His ambassadors or representatives in the earth. In the natural, ambassadors are privileged. They are diplomats with the highest rank. They walk in the authority of the name of the one who sent them.

As God's ambassadors on this earth, we walk in His power and authority. We are to promote relationship with Him. The Bible also calls us "ministers of reconciliation," which means we are the ones to bring the message of hope in Jesus to the world. When you see yourself as God's ambassador, it will change the way you think. It will change the way you act. It will change the way you approach people.

Today, remember, that you are a representative of Almighty God. Look for ways to promote relationship with Him. Speak words of healing that will draw people. Show kindness because it's His kindness that leads people to repentance. Look for ways to bless others as we work together to build His kingdom.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for choosing me as Your ambassador. Help me to understand the authority You've given me. Show me ways to reach out and be a blessing to others and build Your kingdom in the earth. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

GOD’S LOVE

GOD’S LOVE                                   Friday - September 3, 2010

“Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” – Joel 2:13

In 1964, the Lord put on David Wilkerson’s heart to start a boys' home in Amityville, New York, on Long Island. He recalls: “I truly sensed the Lord was behind this work. Yet, after just a year and a half, state officials put impossibly stringent regulations on the home. They told us we had to have a full-time psychologist on staff, as well as a priest or rabbi if we took in boys who were Catholic or Jewish. We couldn't afford to operate under those restrictions, so we simply shut our doors.
We'd taken in only four boys during the brief time we were open, and after we closed down, I lost touch with them. I've always thought that venture was one of the greatest failures of all time. For more than three decades, I wondered why God ever allowed us to move forward with it.”
In 1999, David received a letter from a man named Clifford. Clifford was one of the four boys that were in the Amityville boys’ home. He wrote about the dysfunctional family he was raised in and how he came to live at the boy’s home. It was at the boys’ home that he gave his life to Christ. 
Clifford concluded his letter saying: "Brother David, that was thirty-five years ago. Now God has called me to preach, and he's moving me into full-time ministry. I found you while surfing the internet. This thank-you has been brewing in me for thirty-five years. I just want to say thank you for caring. I know what the love of God is."

The love of God can find us in any situation and turn failure into glory to God. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for His love and rejoice that Jesus is compassionate towards you. 

"The dying Jesus is the evidence of God's anger toward sin; but the living Jesus is the proof of God's love and forgiveness." - Lorenz Eifert

God’s Word: “"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” – John 3:16-17

Your Work Matters to God (3)

Your Work Matters to God (3)

Work...as...for the Lord... Colossians 3:23

Dr Adrian Rogers said, 'God takes ordinary people and gives them power to do extraordinary things. Whether you put hub caps on tyres... key in data... dig ditches or wash dishes, "Work...as...for the Lord..."( Colossians 3:23 NLT). Jesus' home was the cottage of a working man. Mending ploughs or mending souls, Jesus was doing God's work because people need houses and furniture. Knowing you're serving the Lord puts dignity in running a machine, greasing cars, carrying mail, painting houses, or cutting grass. Tell God, "I'm doing this for you and I'll do it with all my might"... That kind of attitude puts a spring in your step... You're a priest of God... in full-time service, and if that doesn't ring your bell - your clapper's broken!' As Leigh Priebe Kearney says, 'No job's perfect... there'll always be things you aren't thrilled about. See the big picture: find out where the company's heading and how you fit in. Reach out: ask what's important to your co-workers and how you can help them.' You can have almost anything you want, if you help enough other people get what they want. Remember the three Cs: 1) commitment. Workers who get ahead share a sense of commitment: they're fully engaged in their work 2) control. They're proactive, not passive 3) challenge. They see stressful situations as opportunities for growth. Don't wait for your ship to come in - swim out to meet it! Management won't suddenly recognise your potential, pluck you from obscurity and rocket you to the top. Draft a plan, then talk to your boss. A game plan shows you're open to professional growth. Keep learning: talk to people from other departments, take classes, and tackle projects outside your comfort zone.

The Word of Power

The Word of Power

Preach the Word!
2 Timothy 4:2a

Recommended Reading
2 Timothy 4:1-5

Whenever the Word of God is soundly and seriously taught or preached, it invariably does good. In every pew there's a hurting heart, and in every audience there's a hungry soul in need of a morsel of God's unchanging truth. Often it's the Scripture text itself or a quoted verse that heals the heart.

The respected British expositor Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones pointed out that the Puritans considered their sermons to be the means by which God solved the personal, individual problems of those who listened. Puritan preachers often spent less time in counseling and more time in preparing biblical, practical messages for the lectern and pulpit.

Counseling and personal interaction are vital, as we see from the ministry of Christ. But if you are a teacher or preacher, don't underestimate the power of the public reading and proclamation of the Scriptures rightly divided. If you're a listener, pray for God to speak through your pastor. Bow your head before every sermon and ask the Lord to speak to your own heart.

The preaching of the Gospel from the pulpit, applied by the Holy Spirit to individuals who are listening, has been the means of dealing with personal problems of which I as the preacher knew nothing...
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jone

	Healing Words "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (Proverbs 12:18, NIV) The Bible tells us that life and death are in the power of our words. We can use our words to build people up and encourage them, or we can just as easily bring destruction with our words. When we use our words to bring healing, the Bible says that we are wise. Choose to be wise today and choose healing words. Look for the best in others and build them up. Choose healing words over gossip; choose words of freedom and peace over anger and judgment. Let your words encourage the people in your life by speaking strength, hope and victory. Remember, words are seeds. When you use your words to bring healing, you'll reap a harvest of health, strength and life in return. As you are faithful with your words, God will increase your influence. He will increase His favor and blessing upon you and lead you in the good life He has prepared for you. A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father in heaven, today I choose to be wise and bring healing to others with my words. I ask for an increase of Your power and ability in my life so that I can live to honor You in all I do. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

REPENT OF YOUR SINS

REPENT OF YOUR SINS                                   Thursday - September 2, 2010

“Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God. Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: ‘Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.’” – Hosea 14:1-2

Rodney "Gipsy" Smith was a British evangelist who traveled throughout the world for over 70 years winning people to Jesus Christ. He recalled one specific person touched by his message: 
“When I was in South Africa, a fine, handsome Dutchman came into my service, and God laid His hand on him and convicted him of sin.  The next morning he went to the beautiful home of another Dutchman and said to him, "Do you recognize that old watch?"
"Why, yes," answered the other. "Those are my initials; that is my watch. I lost it eight years ago. How did you get it, and how long have you had it?"
"I stole it," was the reply.
"What made you bring it back now?"
"I was converted last night," was the answer, "and I have brought it back first thing this morning. If you had been up, I would have brought it last night."

The Lord not only wants us to have a change of heart toward sin, but a change of action. Today in prayer, confess any sin and your life and take the needed steps of repentance. 

“A Christian is not one who never goes wrong, but one who is enabled to repent and begin over again after each stumble—because of the inner working of Christ.” – C.S. Lewis

God’s Word: “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” – Matthew 4:17

Your Work Matters to God (2)

Your Work Matters to God (2)

God cares about honesty in the workplace... Proverbs 16:11

The Human Resources Director was taken aback when he heard what the job applicant asked to be paid. 'You certainly expect to be compensated well for a beginner.' The applicant replied, 'Well sure, work is a lot harder when you don't know what you're doing.' A cute story, but 'God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is His business'(Proverbs 16:11 TM). You should give an honest day's work for an honest day's wages. Eric Harvey says, 'Think about somebody you know who's of good character, and reflect on the characteristics that make them a role model... Chances are that high on the list is commitment - an unwavering dedication to being a good family member and friend - to doing their best on and off the job... to doing what's right, noble and decent. Committed people... have their heads andhearts in the right place. They keep their priorities straight... stay focused on what's important... What they believe drives how they behave, and how they behave determines their character... their reputation... and the legacy they leave.' Abraham Lincoln observed, 'Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It's the words that speak boldly of your intentions, and the actions which speak louder than the words. It's making time when there is none... it's coming through time after time, year after year. Commitment is the stuff character's made of... the power to change the face of things... the daily triumph of integrity over scepticism.' An admirer approached the world-renowned pianist Van Cliburn after one of his concerts and said, 'I'd give my life to be able to play like you.' Smiling, Cliburn replied, 'I did!'

Called Out

Called Out

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.
1 Corinthians 1:2

Recommended Reading
Ephesians 5:25-27

The English word "church" in the New Testament is based on the Greek word ekklesia, a compound word derived from ek (out of) and kaleo (to call). So the church is that group of people who have been "called out" of the world to be God's people. And Paul puts a finer point on it when he says the "church of God" is "called to be saints."

When we were in the world, we had no ultimate sense of purpose. But in Christ, called to be saints of God, the church's mission and purpose comes from God. "Saint" means "holy one"--therefore, the church is a group of unholy people who have been declared to be holy in Christ and who represent their holy God in the world. That is the church's defining purpose, its reason for existence. If the church loses sight of its "called out" place in the world, it will begin to be more like the world than like God. The church's greatest challenge is to remember her identity: called to be holy.

As you make your way through the world this week, stay aware of your place in the church as one called out of the world to be holy in Christ.

We don't go to church; we are the church.
Ernest Southcott

By His Grace

"But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favor on me--and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by His grace"
(1 Corinthians 15:10, NLT)

In this day and age, many people are filled with worry about their future. They live stressed out, wondering "What's going to happen if I get laid off?" "How am I going to handle it if my loved one doesn't make it?" Or, "My parents are getting older. How can I take care of them and my own family as well?" Here is the answer: God's grace is going to be there at every stage of your life to help you do whatever you need to do. God's grace is what saves us, but that's not all. His grace is His enabling power. His grace will give you the strength, wisdom and favor to accomplish what you could not normally accomplish on your own. His grace is sufficient for whatever you need in your future.

If you're in a difficult marriage, if you're raising a child that's hard, if you're facing a sickness, one thing you can count on is that the grace of God will be there. Receive His grace today, by faith, and let Him empower you to walk through that difficulty into a place of supernatural victory in Jesus' name!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, thank You for Your grace and mercy upon my life. Thank You for empowering me to rise above every obstacle I may face. Thank You for restoring my future and equipping me to move forward into the victory You have for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

By His Grace

"But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favor on me--and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by His grace"
(1 Corinthians 15:10, NLT)

In this day and age, many people are filled with worry about their future. They live stressed out, wondering "What's going to happen if I get laid off?" "How am I going to handle it if my loved one doesn't make it?" Or, "My parents are getting older. How can I take care of them and my own family as well?" Here is the answer: God's grace is going to be there at every stage of your life to help you do whatever you need to do. God's grace is what saves us, but that's not all. His grace is His enabling power. His grace will give you the strength, wisdom and favor to accomplish what you could not normally accomplish on your own. His grace is sufficient for whatever you need in your future.

If you're in a difficult marriage, if you're raising a child that's hard, if you're facing a sickness, one thing you can count on is that the grace of God will be there. Receive His grace today, by faith, and let Him empower you to walk through that difficulty into a place of supernatural victory in Jesus' name!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, thank You for Your grace and mercy upon my life. Thank You for empowering me to rise above every obstacle I may face. Thank You for restoring my future and equipping me to move forward into the victory You have for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.