Daily Thoughts about God Posts

Published November 5, 2009

The Long Life of Words

by Marilyn Ehle

“The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me.� John 14:10 (NLT)

When I heard this morning of the death of a female singer popular in the 1960’s, I could hear her singing as clearly as I did over 40 years ago. Without turning on the radio or inserting a disc, that distinctive voice rang in my ears.

Jesus challenged His listeners with these words, “You have heard it said…but I say to you…â€? In remembering a conversation they had with the risen Jesus, two of His followers said, “Were our hearts not burning within us while He talked with us on the road…?â€? Another friend wrote, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard…”

Words have a strange and wonderful power. As we submit daily to the leadership of Jesus Christ, as we continue in the practice of silence and solitude in order to more clearly hear God’s words and thus have our own words transformed, I believe the message that we speak and the life we live will take on new radiance.

I wonder what will be said of me when I die? Although I am definitely not a singer, I wonder if what I have said, the directions I have given —more importantly, the message of the life I have lived—will still be heard clearly. Will it be said of me, “When I heard of her death, I could still hear her voice�?

Father, thank you for the freedom we can experience as we daily walk in the light of your Word and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your gentle nudging when my words have been my own and not yours. May my words—and my life—have eternal influence.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/11/05/me_words/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Marilyn Ehle Thoughts by Women

Published November 2, 2009

Children of God

By: Dr. Bill Bright

“But to all who received Him, He gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust Him to save them“  John 1:12

My wife, Vonette, had been active in the church since she was a little girl, and I assumed that she was a Christian. However, after my proposal and during our engagement, I realized she had never received Christ, though she was a very moral, religious person.

Because of the emotional involvement, I hesitated to press her to receive Christ because I was afraid she would go through the motions of receiving Him to please me, which certainly would not be pleasing to our Lord. So I asked the Lord to send someone who could introduce her to Christ. He clearly led me to call upon a dear friend, the late Dr. Henrietta Mears, who had played such a vital role in my own spiritual growth.

One day at Forest Home, a Christian conference center in California, Dr. Mears took time to talk with Vonette. “Receiving Christ,” she explained, “is simply a matter of turning your life – your will, your emotions, your intellect – completely over to Him.” With that, the great transaction took place and Vonette became a new creature in Christ.

Similarly, in India, a convert from Hinduism could neither read nor write, so he asked others to read the Bible to him. His favorite verse was John 1:12.

“I have received Him,” he said, “so I have become a son of God.”

Radiantly happy, he returned to his village.

“I have become a son of God,” he proclaimed. And his life was so transformed and his simple witness so effective that the other villagers all wanted to become “sons of God,” too.

That radiant convert led the whole village to Christ – and hundreds of others besides. A poor, illiterate, former Hindu, he realized that he had indeed become a son of God and he longed for others to become sons as well.

Bible Reading: John 1:6-11

Today’s Action Point:
I will make certain first of all that I have truly received Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord by faith – with the intellect, the emotions, the will. Then I will seek to be God’s instrument in helping to introduce others to Him as well.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/11/02/bb_children/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Bill Bright Thoughts by Men