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Listen while you read: "Count Your Blessings"1 (Lyrics) |
Revelation 3:1b-3 – I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. (NIV)
Baking bread in the summer mornings can be somewhat of a challenge, for I do not have the wood stove going, and the house is quite cool until late afternoon. Thus, once I have the dough formed, I scout about the house looking for sunbeams streaming through windows where I can place my bread bowl within their warmth, which in turn activates or wakes up the yeast, allowing the bread to rise.
Warmth and sunlight are important not only in the art of bread making, however, but also doubly important within the church of Jesus Christ, Who is God's "Son Light" to mankind. When Christ's bride, the church, strays from what she has received and heard through Scripture and the power of the Holy Spirit, the witness of the kingdom of God loses its power, enthusiasm, and vitality.
William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, stated, "The chief danger that confronts the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, heaven without hell." Looking at the state of Christianity in North America, especially in comparison with many overseas churches, it would seem that Booth's statement was indeed prophetic.
Taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world these days is not nearly as easy as it once was, especially in North America, where many people's hearts have grown cold toward what is termed "religion". Perhaps, we have become too self-satisfied, too well fed, too cynical, too wealthy, or too afraid to not belong to the "in" group. Whatever the case, the North American church has suffered and is suffering greatly in regard to numbers, vitality, and power. We need to wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die. We need to consider going back and actively cultivating those things which God prizes and asks of His people. And what might they be?
Micah 6:8 – He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (NIV)
Perhaps then, the "Son Light" will once more penetrate the hearts of God's people, the church will rise up in love, and the hearts of nations might be strangely warmed again by the power of His Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Father God, wake up Your church through the power of Your life-giving Holy Spirit, that Your kingdom might once again rise up and that Your will might be done here on earth as it is in heaven. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
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Amen. Come Holy Spirit come!
May it be so, Lynne. A good word.
What a great devotional Lynne! So true and inspiring! My prayer as well!
Excellent devotional Lynne and a timely wake up call for many churches. Blessings.
Love your image of the Son Light! This is a well-worded challenge to Christians today. Thanks.
Thank you, Lynne, for your powerful message this morning. Amen and amen.
Blessings.
Lynne – Once again, you have blessed me with your writing about the condition of the church and it’s believers.
Thanks Lynne for sharing these thoughts with us. Yes, we must return to Biblical principles and live according to them. Blessings.
This was excellent! Thank you! I go to a local country church and we too see that numbers are down. “Love” is what will warm the fence sitters.
Thank you again.
Hi Lynn,
You would think that it would be easier to bring the Gospel to people with all yhe modern technology we have, but you are right, the great majority of people are just not interested and ofcourse the introduction of other religions in traditionally “Christian” countries has not helped either.
All we can do is keep on praying and hoping that things will change. Thank you for writing
Blessings.
I pray for a revival among us Christians and let it begin with me. It seems that our church is primarily concerned with social justice, and social work which is greatly needed but organizations that do not honour the Lord also do these things. I feel we need to spread the Gospel through the power of the Holy Ghost. We don’t hear sermons about repentance and regeneration any more. Thank you for this inspiring devotional. The Lord will do mighty things if we wake up.
(B.C.)
Dear Lynne,
Right on!
Thank you.
Thank you, Lynne,
The power of the Spirit is greatly needed today.
The Spirit longs to move but needs open hearts and minds to do so.