Good day everyone. For the last few days the subject of being a Christians has been in my spirit and in my meals. I’m sharing with you today some information that I gathered some years ago that still rings true. It is my hope that after consuming this meal, the glory of God would shine through your life today and ever more. Go to the source and get it turned on correctly right now.
Today’s Prayer
Father, Thank You for this day. Please forgive me of my sins; of letting other people’s problems get to me sometimes and cause anxiety in my life instead of just taking it to You. Thank You that my problems are not as great as some and that no matter what, You are there for me to carry me through. God, I want to keep Your commandments and do Your will for me. I want to bind Your Word and Your teachings upon my heart and tie them about my neck, so that wherever I go, they shall lead me; when I sleep, they shall keep me; and when I awake, they shall talk with me–and just be a very fiber of my being. For the commandment is a lamp; the the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life. Please continue to guide, direct, and protect me and my family all the days of our lives. Thank You, Father. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Let’s eat.
What is the Goal of the Christian Life?
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. – John 12:24.
This is going to raise some eyebrows and make somebody uncomfortable but the bible tells us that the goal of the Christian life is death, not success. I know that for years some of us have been taught the popular teaching that says that if we follow GOD, we will prosper materially. GOD may, in fact, bless His people materially, but few can make this claim among third-world countries. Wealth must never be the goal of a person’s life, only a by-product.
A while back I was reading one of the works of Os Hillman where he quoted a missionary to a Middle-Eastern country who has shared a motto among their ministry team: “God does not require success, but radical, immediate obedience.” Jesus’ obedience gained Him the cross. It did not gain Him popularity among the heathen, the religious or financial success, or a life of pleasure. His obedience resulted in His death on the cross. This is the same goal Christ has for each of us-death of our old nature so that He might live through us. That may not sell well among outcome-based Christian believers, but it will result in an eternal reward that far exceeds any earthly reward.
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” (Rev. 22:12).
The Christian life is a paradox-the first will be last, death in return for life, and we are encouraged to offer praise to God to overcome a spirit of heaviness. It requires faith in a God who operates from a different set of values that are sometimes difficult to measure from human standards. Let death work in you a life that only God can raise up.
Quote of the Day
I Love Jesus Christ and that is why I am on fire with the desire to give Him souls, first of all my own, and then an incalculable number of others.
Alphonsus Liguori
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REV. ELDER G E STERRETT
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James H. Taylor Sr. – Kankakee City News has published my Daily meal message for a decade.