From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
daily devotional
Evening ...
1 Kings 19:4
And he requested for himself that he might die.
It was a remarkable thing that the man who was never to die, for whom God had
ordained an infinitely better lot, the man who should be carried to heaven in a
chariot of fire, and be translated, that he should not see death-should thus
pray, "Let me die, I am no better than my fathers." We have here a memorable
proof that God does not always answer prayer in kind, though He always does in
effect. He gave Elias something better than that which he asked for, and thus
really heard and answered him. Strange was it that the lion-hearted Elijah
should be so depressed by Jezebel's threat as to ask to die, and blessedly kind
was it on the part of our heavenly Father that He did not take His desponding
servant at his word. There is a limit to the doctrine of the prayer of faith.
We are not to expect that God will give us everything we choose to ask for. We
know that we sometimes ask, and do not receive, because we ask amiss. If we ask
for that which is not promised-if we run counter to the spirit which the Lord
would have us cultivate-if we ask contrary to His will, or to the decrees of
His providence-if we ask merely for the gratification of our own ease, and
without an eye to His glory, we must not expect that we shall receive. Yet,
when we ask in faith, nothing doubting, if we receive not the precise thing
asked for, we shall receive an equivalent, and more than an equivalent, for it.
As one remarks, "If the Lord does not pay in silver, He will in gold; and if He
does not pay in gold, He will in diamonds." If He does not give you precisely
what you ask for, He will give you that which is tantamount to it, and that
which you will greatly rejoice to receive in lieu thereof. Be then, dear
reader, much in prayer, and make this evening a season of earnest intercession,
but take heed what you ask.
Morning ...
Psalm 17:7
Marvellous lovingkindness.
When we give our hearts with our alms, we give well, but we must often plead
to a failure in this respect. Not so our Master and our Lord. His favours are
always performed with the love of His heart. He does not send to us the cold
meat and the broken pieces from the table of His luxury, but He dips our morsel
in His own dish, and seasons our provisions with the spices of His fragrant
affections. When He puts the golden tokens of His grace into our palms, He
accompanies the gift with such a warm pressure of our hand, that the manner of
His giving is as precious as the boon itself. He will come into our houses upon
His errands of kindness, and He will not act as some austere visitors do in the
poor man's cottage, but He sits by our side, not despising our poverty, nor
blaming our weakness. Beloved, with what smiles does He speak! What golden
sentences drop from His gracious lips! What embraces of affection does He
bestow upon us! If He had but given us farthings, the way of His giving would
have gilded them; but as it is, the costly alms are set in a golden basket by
His pleasant carriage. It is impossible to doubt the sincerity of His charity,
for there is a bleeding heart stamped upon the face of all His benefactions. He
giveth liberally and upbraideth not. Not one hint that we are burdensome to
Him; not one cold look for His poor pensioners; but He rejoices in His mercy,
and presses us to His bosom while He is pouring out His life for us. There is a
fragrance in His spikenard which nothing but His heart could produce; there is
a sweetness in His honey-comb which could not be in it unless the very essence
of His soul's affection had been mingled with it. Oh! the rare communion which
such singular heartiness effecteth! May we continually taste and know the
blessedness of it!
Luke 16:10-13
(10) He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also
in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. (11) If
therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit
to your trust the true riches? (12) And if ye have not been faithful in that
which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? (13) No
servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the
other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve
God and mammon.
Go to this verse on Bible Tools
Jesus Christ does not need to see us in action administering a
great city to know how we will govern in His Kingdom. He can see how we solve
our problems in our own little life, whether we humble ourselves to be faithful
by submitting to His way. Or do we "solve" our relationship problems with
others by shouting, punching, hating, crawling into a shell, refusing to
fellowship, going on strike, spreading gossip, seeking others to take our side,
or running down another's reputation?
He can tell by the way we manage our own or our company's money;
how we maintain our property; and how we dress. Christ can even judge our
abilities by how we drive our car! Some people turn into aggressive,
lead-footed monsters behind the wheel. Are we so vain to think the road belongs
to us? Would He entrust a city to such an obnoxious person?
A woman once asked Mr. Armstrong what she had to do to worship
God and prepare for the Kingdom. Who knows what she expected, but he advised
her to begin in her bedroom! No one knows whether he meant that she should work
on her prayers, keep the room neat and clean, or improve her relationship with
her husband-maybe all three. The principle is that preparation for the Kingdom
is achieved by working on the little things of life God's way.
Matthew 25:21 illustrates this clearly. "His lord said to him,
'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I
will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'" In
this parable, the servant who misused his position was disqualified because the
lord could not trust him to use what was given him in a godly way.
Can we see this, brethren? The very elements involved in the
process of sanctification are the ones that prepare and qualify us to rule!
What kind of decisions do we make in the everyday things of life?
The choices required to live God's way are really very simple. Basically, they
are a matter of saying, "Yes" or "No" to God's law. It does not have to be
complicated for God to judge where we stand. He did not give Adam and Eve some
long, complex mathematical, engineering, or political test. It was a simple
test of obedience involving one of the most basic areas of life-food. You can
eat this but not that.
We do not have to be an Adolf Hitler to prove ourselves
unsuitable to rule over others. How we treat our spouse, children, or friends
will provide ample evidence. Do we carefully think through what we say? Do we
keep our word? Are we short-tempered, hard to get along with, stubborn, and
uncooperative unless things are done our way? Are we quick to judge, impatient,
malicious, foul-mouthed, or rebellious? Do we seek preferential treatment or
position?
Christ needs to know if we will live His way now, before He
entrusts us with the power of office in His Kingdom. The leaders of this world
are not interested in the Way (see Acts 9:2; 16:17; 18:25-26; 19:9). They
consider it foolish, unrealistic, impractical, and simplistic. So they make
treaties and break them, and the wonderful advances of technology continue to
prove useless in things that matter. The Kingdom of God, however, will produce
all the good things written in the prophecies because the government itself
reflects them. They are in its character, and they have already manifested
themselves in each ruler's life.
John W. Ritenbaugh
From Preparing to Rule!
.
