February 2015 - Page 4 of 4 - Daily Thoughts about God

“Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him to help you do it and He will” Psalm 37:5

Janet remained after the student meeting for counsel.

“How can I commit everything I do to the Lord?” she inquired. “What is involved in a total commitment?”

I explained that mere words can be superficial and shallow, and even insulting to God. It is the commitment of our intellects, our emotions and our wills to do the will of God in every situation with the faith that we can, as promised, trust Him to help us do whatever He calls us to do.

Sometimes I wonder if we really know the meaning of the word commitment. Paraphrasing an anonymous source:

We sing “Sweet Hour of Prayer” and are content with five or ten minutes a day. We sing “Onward Christian Soldiers” and wait to be drafted into His service. We sing “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” and don’t use the one we have.

We sing “I Love to Tell the Story” but never witness to the love of Christ personally. We sing “We’re Marching to Zion” but fail to march to worship or Sunday school. We sing “Cast Thy Burden on the Lord” and worry ourselves into a nervous breakdown.

We sing “The Whole Wide World for Jesus” and never invite our next-door neighbor to consider the claims of Christ. We sing “O Day of Rest and Gladness” and wear ourselves out traveling or cutting grass or playing golf on Sunday. We sing “Throw Out the Lifeline” and content ourselves with throwing out a fishing line.

Consistency is a wonderful word for the believer in Christ. Add to that the word commitment and you have a rare combination of supernatural enablements that result in a triumphant, fruitful life.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:5-10

Today’s Thought: Today I will commit everything I do to the Lord and trust Him to help me do what He calls me to do. Since He has called me to be His witness, I will trust Him to enable me to share His love and forgiveness through Christ with someone else today.

By Dr. Bill Bright

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2015/02/07/bb_when-we-commit/

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” Hebrews 10:23-24 (NLT)

In the movie, Jakob the Liar, Jakob is a prisoner in a Jewish Ghetto in Poland during World War II. Everyone living there has lost all hope of ever being rescued and many have resorted to suicide. Jakob hears a radio broadcast and shares what he has heard with his friends. The news travels like wild fire through the ghetto. Jakob is moved by the renewed sense of hope he sees and so embarks on a plan to keep hope alive in the ghetto.

While watching this movie, I was astonished by the power of hope. Many of us have only a sketchy idea of what it is like to live without hope and we so easily take for granted the hope we have in Christ. “And this hope will not lead to disappointment…” (Romans 5:5 NLT)

We forget that we are living in as dark a place as Jakob was. People all around us are living and dying with no hope!

We have the hope. The hope that will not only give them purpose in life but will rescue them eternally!

What if we were to use the gifts God has given us to overwhelm others with the love of Jesus? What would happen if we had an outbreak in our churches of love and good deeds? Would people see the hope we have in Christ? Would they be “infected” with our love for God and others? What if we couldn’t contain this pandemic? Remember, it just takes one!

Thought: What gifts has God given you? Take some time to evaluate what gifts you have and ask God how He wants you to use those gifts to bring His light into the dark places where you live.

By Kristi Huseby

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If you have lost hope and would like to renew your relationship with Christ you can do so today. We are filled with the Holy Spirit by faith alone. However, true prayer is one way of expressing your faith. The following is a suggested prayer:

“Dear Father, I need You. I acknowledge that I have been directing my own life and that, as a result, I have sinned against You. I thank You that You have forgiven my sins through Christ’s death on the cross for me. I now invite Christ to again take His place on the throne of my life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled, and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith. I now thank You for directing my life and for filling me with the Holy Spirit.”

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If so, bow in prayer and trust God to fill you with the Holy Spirit right now.

If you prayed this prayer, we at Thoughts about God would love to hear about it! We would love to send you information to help you discover more about the Spirit led life.