I thought you all might enjoy this beautiful prayer by Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1703-1791). His words are rich and deep, inspiring and challenging...
"Lord, when my eye confronts my heart, and I realize that You have filled my heart with Your love, I am breathless with amazement. Once my heart was so small in its vision, so narrow in its compassion, so weak in its zeal for truth. Then You chose to enter my heart, and now in my heart i can see you, I can love all your people, and I have courage to proclaim the trust of Your gospel to anyone and everyone. Like wax before a fire, my heart has melted under the heat of Your love."
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
My Leader and Provider
Enjoy this excerpt from the daily This Day with the Master by Dennis Kinlaw. It will encourage, inspire, and challenge you as you enter the summer months. Regardless of where you find yourself over the next few months, remember that God is leading you. You are not alone. He is with you and longs to love you and love others through you in whatever you do this summer.
"One of the happiest things that occurs in salvation is that suddenly we find we are not alone. The Lord Jesus comes into our life, and he is present there in the same way he was in the boat with the disciples when the storm came. He delivered the disciples from their fears and from the threat of the storm. After our conversion we find that he is not only present but also at work in us and in our circumstances.
There ought to be evidences in a person's life when Christ is in residence. Other people ought to be able to sense the presence of the risen Christ. When Israel followed Yahweh, there were certain evidences of God's leadership. Likewise, when Jesus told his disciples to follow him, their lives became set apart from the rest of the world because of that primary relationship with him. This is the essence of the Christian life. When we turn our attention to Christ, we turn away from our own desires, plans, and purposes. We hear the call of Christ, and we follow. Christ's purposes then become our purposes.
When we allow Christ to separate us from all else in order to be in his presence, then God is able to provide for us in ways comparable to his provision for the people of Israel. When they were hungry, God provided food. When they were thirsty, God provided drink. When they needed protection, God provided deliverance. When they needed guidance, he provided a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to lead them. When we enter into a relationship with God, he becomes our Guide, our Leader, or Provider, and our Protector."
"One of the happiest things that occurs in salvation is that suddenly we find we are not alone. The Lord Jesus comes into our life, and he is present there in the same way he was in the boat with the disciples when the storm came. He delivered the disciples from their fears and from the threat of the storm. After our conversion we find that he is not only present but also at work in us and in our circumstances.
There ought to be evidences in a person's life when Christ is in residence. Other people ought to be able to sense the presence of the risen Christ. When Israel followed Yahweh, there were certain evidences of God's leadership. Likewise, when Jesus told his disciples to follow him, their lives became set apart from the rest of the world because of that primary relationship with him. This is the essence of the Christian life. When we turn our attention to Christ, we turn away from our own desires, plans, and purposes. We hear the call of Christ, and we follow. Christ's purposes then become our purposes.
When we allow Christ to separate us from all else in order to be in his presence, then God is able to provide for us in ways comparable to his provision for the people of Israel. When they were hungry, God provided food. When they were thirsty, God provided drink. When they needed protection, God provided deliverance. When they needed guidance, he provided a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to lead them. When we enter into a relationship with God, he becomes our Guide, our Leader, or Provider, and our Protector."
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