February 24, 2011

Read Daniel 4:28-33. Job 1.

It’s very humbling to realise that the Lord owes me nothing. He didn’t have to save me. He didn’t have to send Jesus to die for my sins. He didn’t have to adopt me into his kingdom as his beloved son. He didn't have to ... but he did.

Even now with all the physical blessings we enjoy we need to remember that the Lord can take it all away.  Nebuchadnezzar was told that his authority is taken away from him. Job, the most righteous man of the East, confessed that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  It’s a lot easier to avoid pride, to stop taking things for granted and to be genuinely grateful when we realise that the Lord can take our things away at any moment.  King Nebuchadnezzar was proud and arrogant so the Lord took away his authority. God wanted to teach him a lesson and he spent ‘7 times’ with wild animals. He lost everything and was reduced to being less than human.  Job learnt that the Lord can do whatever he pleases, even if we don’t understand or agree.

Even though God owes me nothing, he’s given me everything. I owe God everything but have given Him nothing for my salvation. Humbling isn’t it? As we humble ourselves before the Lord and see ourselves as we really are and put all our ‘things’ into their proper perspective we grow in real heartfelt gratitude and humility.  It’s when we take this approach to ourselves  and our ‘things’ that we can share with a pure heart, give joyfully to the needy and go without for the sake of others. This kind of deep seated generosity flows out of a heart that loves God more than the ‘things’ of this world.  Idolatry is pushed out of the heart by a sincere and reverent love for the Lord.

Prayer:

þ Pray that your congregation would be filled with believers who humbly love others and the Lord more than themselves and their things. Pray that this deep seated love for the Lord would lead to a generosity and other centeredness that can only come from the work of the Holy Spirit in people’s lives.

þ Pray for the church in Vietnam. Though religious freedom nominally exists, believers are discriminated against, persecuted and harassed by the authorities. Pray for strong biblical leadership. Pray for a firm, growing faith among believers. Pray that God would bring repentance and faith to many more believers.

þ Pray for the India Mission team. Ask God to bind this team together and to bring unity and oneness. Pray that God would use them powerfully in India to bring blessing, hope and new birth to many. Pray that we as a congregation will be able to support them financially, prayerfully and practically  as they plan their mission trip.