Based on “The Church—Why We Do What We Do, Part 5” by Pastor Mark Balmer;
3/6-7/10, Message #MB410; Daily Devotional #5 - “He Owns the Miracles”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): Today Lord, yes, today I am going to follow you. “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:26) A believer is not always a follower, but a follower is always a believer, and the world is blessed by believers who follow Jesus.
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): Imagine that God gave each person a new pair of well soled shoes at the moment of salvation, instructed them to keep these shoes on until the soles wore out, and provided the following instructions with these shoes: 1) Start your day with prayer and a thankful heart each morning for His love, His mercy, and His provision. 2) Wear them only if you believe God’s Word is true, vital, and active today, and 3) When you put these shoes on, remember you have been sent out today by your Father, who gets ALL the glory for the miracles that take place; it is His mission you carry out. The one thing God doesn’t tell you is that the soles of these shoes will never wear out on the days you are following Him. Therefore, when He asks one day to see the soles of your shoes, He will find that either they have not worn out because of your faithfulness to follow Jesus and willingness to do as God asks in His timing, or He will find the shoes have long ago been discarded because you lost faith somewhere and didn’t remember your first love. Or, He will find the shoes slightly worn due to many days of unbelief and times you forgot that God ordains the time and places of His daily miracles. We listen, God directs, and God prepares the way each and every day of our lives here on this earth. Would God be disappointed or pleased when He sees the soles of your shoes? We all make mistakes and fall short, and God forgives, yet it is the call of God on our lives to serve and to serve well and fearlessly (Ephesians 6:10-20).
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): The greatest blessings for a Christ follower are the times we have been part of a miracle. Each of us is given missions of faith to carry out for our Lord. It doesn’t lie in our charge to appoint the times or the seasons of service. What is in our charge is the willingness to prepare our own hearts to receive, so that we may go forth and be the blessing we have been called out to be. When we pray, listen to His voice, and then act in His timing. His will is effective on this earth and lives are changed and greatly blessed. How wonderful that today is the day that we can choose to put on our spiritual shoes and go out looking for our opportunities to hear God and act on His prompting. He opens all the doors, He gets all the glory, and He owns the miracles.
bam
Calvary Chapel of Melbourne; 2955 Minton Road; W. Melbourne, FL 32904; 321-952-9673
All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.