“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.
And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father,
and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21
In the Epistle of Paul to Philemon, he says how he continually prays for Philemon, saying that he has heard of the “love and faith” which he has, both toward the Lord and toward his brethren. Then Paul reveals a little understood principle that can change your life and deepen your walk with God in a way you never expected.
Listen to how the Amplified Bible translates Philemon 1:6:
“[And I pray] that the participation in and sharing of your faith may produce and promote full recognition and appreciation and understanding and precise knowledge of every good [thing] that is ours in [our identification with] Christ Jesus [and unto His glory].”
The implications are clear. If you want a more full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ . . . you can get it by sharing your faith. The Scriptures say that it actually produces that knowledge in you. Those who don't reach out to the lost aren't experiencing God on this deeper level. They've yet to discover the incredible fulfillment awaiting those who respond to Christ’s command. Matthew Henry said, “I would think it a greater happiness to gain one soul to Christ than mountains of silver and gold to myself.” Charles Spurgeon said, “To be a soul winner is the happiest thing in this world.”
Consider for a moment the words of Jesus to his disciples shortly after He spoke to the woman at the well: “But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know’” (John 4:32). What was this sustaining food of which Jesus spoke? He told them in His next sentence, “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work’” (John 4:34). He had just done the will of the Father by sharing the words of everlasting life with the woman at the well. Doing that was to Jesus as if He had just eaten life-sustaining food. You can know that same fulfilling joy as you obey the command of the Lord Jesus, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). As you do so, watch the Philemon 1:6 principle begin to take effect in your life. Your understanding and appreciation of every good thing we have in the Lord will deepen. If that’s what you want, you've begun the right journey.
Tomorrow’s devotional will take longer than any of the others in this journal. That’s because tomorrow we’re going to explore the “how” of sharing your faith. How can we biblically, simply and effectively, share the life-giving words of the Gospel? Don’t skip tomorrow’s devotion because it takes a little longer to do. It is absolutely essential and foundational to the rest of your journey.
Quenching Your Spiritual Thirst
No comments:
Post a Comment