Taking Spiritual Inventory.
Shane calls us to take spiritual inventory. We need to rediscover the primary mission of the church and the sufficiency of the cross.
December 29 – Morning
“As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Acts 13:2
As the New Year approaches, let us take spiritual inventory of our lives. The Church of God will never function as a luxury cruise but only as a search and rescue vessel. We must lose the mentality that we can settle down in comfort and enjoy church life while the rest of the world is perishing. Fellowship can be likened to fellows in a ship, only if that ship is viewed as a search and rescue vessel out in the turbulent waters of life. All around us there are people in the water who are ready to perish, ignorantly unaware that their “raft” will be destroyed in the coming flood of wrath.
Spiritual Inventory and The Mission of the Church
The church’s mission, through Him who dwells in us, is to seek and to save that which is lost. Once they are saved, they too will serve. The Church at large is a missionary vessel. All who are saved are God’s ambassadors to the world (2 Cor.5:20). We are “sent” into this world, or left here rather, to point others in the direction of the Life Preserver, our Lord Jesus Christ.
From time to time, however, it is in the Holy Spirit’s wisdom to send out little lifeboat rescue missions from the Church (Acts 13:2). We call them “missionaries,” from the Latin word meaning “sent.” Missionaries are separated by the Holy Spirit to the work to which He has called them. Summoned to foreign lands or special works, missionaries are called to leave their home lands and live in other lands as the Holy Spirit sees fit. Our job is to work together with them to see souls saved.
Missionaries and their “lifeboats” can take the gospel to areas where the commending church cannot. Communication, co-operation and prayer should be maintained between the sent missionary and the sending church. When Barnabas and Saul returned from their first short-term mission, they gathered the church together…and “reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27). May our churches do the same. Let us not forget the missionaries in foreign fields
Heed the Call
Perhaps you sense the Lord calling you to a new work. Let us diligently heed the call. Above all, let us be interested and aware of the Lord’s work in foreign fields. As well, let us all continually witness to His name, whether we find ourselves in a foreign field or in our own home land, for all the nations are His inheritance and He desires worshippers from every nation.
Sent we are by Christ to suffer,
Each to give his all for others.
Now’s the time to spread His Name.
Time is short. Much work remains.
December 29 – Evening
“So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.” (Exodus 15:25a)
At the beginning of every year, whatever the year may bring, we must remember that the cross is the panacea for every bitter thing in this life. Along the way, we meet with many disappointing circumstances. The cross can redeem any and all of it. We can learn to cope with any and all of the circumstances and disappointments we meet with in this life, if we learn the lesson of the tree.
Note the language of this verse. First, we must pray – Moses cried out to the Lord. If we do not pray in our circumstances, we shall be left to our circumstances. We will not see the salvation of the Lord, in our daily walk with Him, if we do not pray for the deliverance of the Lord in our daily walk with Him. The Lord has many ways He wants to bless us, and He has many things to teach us, but we must humble ourselves, confess our needs, and call out to Him if we want to see deliverance. Moses and his people suffered hunger and thirst in the wilderness and cried out for help. That help came down because a sincere prayer went up. You and I, when we face privations and difficulties and reversals in this life, should do the same.
The Cross is Enough
Second, the LORD will show us the tree. There are many aspects of the cross that communicate His love and power for us, but we are often times blinded or distracted by other “help.” We often think the Scriptures are not enough. Human hands and faces are want we usually long for. But by faith we must believe that the cross is enough. The cross can be brought to bear on any bitter situation, and can make it sweet. The Lord must show us this, for we cannot see it for ourselves. Note the text says, “and the LORD showed him a tree.”
Third, we must cast it into the water. He will not cast it in for us. To show us the tree is His work, but to cast it in is ours. We must apply the cross to our present circumstances and situations. We must cast it in, and He will make it sweet. If you are sick, suffering, lonesome, bereaved, or disappointed in any way, cry out, find the tree again, and cast it into the bitter waters, and you will experience the sweetness of the living God.
His tree can make the acrid sweet
and make the rough seem smooth.
The cross transforms our sufferings
into glory for our good.
So call to Him and make your plea;
He desires to hear you pray.
He’ll change your ashes into beauty,
and your Winter into May.
Have you taken spiritual inventory recently? Please share with us below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Shane Johnson
Shane Johnson has been commended from Bethel-Park Bible Chapel since 1999. He resides in Brantford, Ontario with his wife Shelly and his five children.
He has his Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a minor in History. His passions are teaching children, inspiring young people, writing, music and playing soccer.
Shane is a regular contributor to our Christian internet radio station, HopeStreamRadio through his programs entitled “Christ Up Close,” “Raising Fathers,” and “Proverbs – Wisdom For Fools.“
More Podcasts Below:
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Peace Through The Christ of Christmas
Can We Be Holy? The Process of Sanctification
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