"A redeemed soul will increase your faith." (PL, p. 141)
TUESDAY, June 24 Freed by Faith
Romans 8:2 MSG
"The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death."
I was just going to skip this 7th chapter Part 1 of Lewis' book as nothing really 'hit' me until I came to the challenge at the end: spend a month focusing prayer on one person who seems beyond hope. (An unnamed person came to mind immediately.) Envision them whole, redeemed, and filled with God's grace. This is a time where bold, persistent prayers can make all the difference.
What a prayer challenge. I may never know the outcome, but to keep praying for a lost soul may result in glory years, or days, from now. God-time is in control. But I can control my prayers. I can continue to pray for those who struggle to find the freedom of faith.
2-SHARE YOUR FAITH
"A transformed life will increase your faith." (PL, p. 149)
WEDNESDAY, June 25 Spiritual CPR
1 John 5:12 VOICE
"If you have the Son, you have eternal life. If you do not have the Son of God, you are not acquainted with true life."
If we encounter an emergency and must give CPR, we wouldn't hesitate. Oh, the joy we would feel if the person responded and we 'saved their life'! What about spiritual CPR? Do we give it as freely or is there a hesitation to 'get involved'? To share our faith, to share Jesus' saving power, with one who is dying (or dead!) spiritually can be an overwhelming experience and a real boost to our faith. So, why do we hesitate? We just might be an emergency responder and not even know it!
THURSDAY, June 26 What's My Cover?
".....when asking a gentleman hunched over a mop, if his job ever got boring or monotonous after 35 years, .... 'my job isn't cleaning floors with this mop. My job all my life has been sharing Jesus with lost folks....this mop and bucket', he said, 'that's just my cover!' The janitor never got bored with his job because he knew God had placed him there for a purpose, and that gave him joy." (p. 150, Simply Rejoicing) What changes would such an attitude bring if we were to approach our 'jobs' in such a way? Many jobs don't allow us to witness Christ verbally or overtly, but to seek the hurting and heal within our profession is worth far more than a paycheck.
How can we use our job as a cover? Our hobbies? Our recreation? Our life? 'Undercover for Christ'! I like it!
FRIDAY, June 27 Roman Road Gospel
At the end of this chapter, Lewis talks about the Roman Road Gospel - a series of Bible passages from Romans that can be used to share the gospel. I use the GoodNews translation here:
Romans 3:23 Everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence.
Romans 6:23 For sin pays its wage - death; but God's free gift is eternal life in union with Christ.
Romans 5:8 But God has shown us how much he loves us - it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us.
Romans 10:9 If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe God raised him from death, you will be saved.
I really liked the following quote from Danny Velasco: "Jesus saves us, cleans us up, turns our lives around, and he then adopts us into his family." It made me think, do we do the same to others in His name?
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| I found the letter J tonight just in time for today's 'text'! (Plus two more S's!) |
This post is based on the book, SIMPLY REJOICING by Patsy Lewis, Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 2013
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