Tag: <span>Jesus</span>

Published July 24, 2009

My Message is About HIM

by Max Lucado
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The request came when I was twenty. “Can you address our church youth group?” We aren’t talking citywide crusade here. Think more in terms of a dozen kids around a West Texas campfire. I was new to the faith, hence new to the power of the faith. I told my story, and, lo and behold, they listened! One even approached me afterward and said something like, “That moved me, Max.” My chest lifted, and my feet shifted just a step in the direction of the spotlight.

God has been nudging me back ever since.

Some of you don’t relate. The limelight never woos you. You and John the Baptist sing the same tune: “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less” (John 3:30, NLT). God bless you. You might pray for the rest of us. We applause-aholics have done it all: dropped names, sung loudly, dressed up to look classy, dressed down to look cool, quoted authors we’ve never read, spouted Greek we’ve never studied. For the life of me, I believe Satan trains battalions of demons to whisper one question in our ears: “What are people thinking of you?”

A deadly query. What they think of us matters not. What they think of God matters all. God will not share his glory with another (Isaiah 42:8). Next time you need a nudge away from the spotlight, remember: You are simply one link in a chain, an unimportant link at that.

Remember the other messengers God has used?

A donkey to speak to Balaam (Numbers 22:28).

A staff-turned-snake to stir Pharaoh (Exodus 7:10).

He used stubborn oxen to make a point about reverence and a big fish to make a point about reluctant preachers (I Samuel 6:1-12; Jonah 1:1-17)

God doesn’t need you and me to do his work. We are expedient messengers, ambassadors by his kindness, not by our cleverness.

It’s not about us, and it angers him when we think it is.

We who are entrusted with the gospel dare not seek applause but best deflect applause. For our message is about Someone else.

Question: How can we seek to be humble, without paradoxically becoming prideful of our humility?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/07/24/ml_about-him/

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Max Lucado
From: It’s Not About Me
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2007), Max Lucado
Used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/about/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Max Lucado Thoughts by Men

Published March 10, 2009

Clouds

by Roderick Marshall
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He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  Matthew 14:29-31 (ESV)

My window at work looks towards the Cotswold Hills. When the clouds descend, the hills become hidden from view. Today, they arrived with snow in them, and true to form, the hills disappeared under the clouds’ caress. With the advent of thick snowflakes, the clouds increased their hold on my viewpoint and soon I could only see the university grounds.

I was taken up with the ferocity of this deluge from the sky, but eventually my focus returned to work. Later, the hillside shroud departed and I noted the contrast between the sunshine of a clear sky to my left and the total coverage of heavy cloud, mist and snowfall being relentlessly blown away to my right.

So stark was the contrast between the cloud and snow on the one hand and the bright blue sky on the other, I thought there was a point to this, but I dismissed it as a passing whim.

However, I was to be reminded a second time a few nights later. In contrast to the dark of the night, the cloud reflected the lights of Gloucester city as we drove home. Like a signpost in the sky, the edge between darkness and light was clear to see. It was as if God was giving me a nudge to take note of what had happened previously.

This was my thought: in the middle of some big event, we may slip into a frenzy of agitation, one that consumes our total attention. Enthralled by a cloud of circumstance, we become shrouded from the greater perspective, and our Kingdom goals seem a distant hope.

Our hearts may be agitated today, but be of good courage, because just like the blue sky restored my original perspective of the hills, so too will come the hand of Jesus to lift us.

PRAYER: LORD, forgive us our distractions that take our hearts and minds away from your protective love and grant us restoration to Your embrace. We rejoice that though you know our doubts and fears, yet you still choose us today.
LORD, as You send us out into the world again today prompt us to keep our eyes focused on Your Way. Amen.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/03/10/rm_clouds/

Thoughts by All Thoughts by Men thoughts by Rod Marshall