Beginning Right - The Gospel

2002-10-15 - Rated 3 of 5 by 28 users - (Print Notes)

Part # 1: EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! by D-lite

Devotional thoughts from Rom 1:8-17
TITLE: EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

What would it be like to have ìmy faith Ö reported all over the worldî? Would my community be swarming with TV and news reporters? Would the eyes of the world watch as God moves in my community? Imagine what the media reports would look and sound like if ìmy faithî was being reported ìall over the worldî today. If that would be the case, Iím certain CNN and a multitude of others would cover the ìstoryî as well. What would the headlines say? What kind of questions would the reporters be asking? Would they ask where I get my great faith? Would they ask what my faith could do? Would they want a demonstration of me living out my faith? Would I be asked to ìwalk by faithî?

Paul wanted to be where God was working and moving ñ where it was happening now. He wanted to be where the Spirit was working. Someone asked Wayne Gretzky as to the reason for his great success in scoring goals in hockey. He replied that when he plays he always goes to where the puck is going to be not to where it has been. Often older people like to tell stories about the ìgood ole daysî. But as Christians weíre in big trouble if all we have is memories of what God did for us in the past.

I can keep people entertained for hours, just telling stories of all the awesome things God has done for me, the prayers He has answered, and His faithfulness in situations that defy understanding. But I donít want to tell stories of just what God has done for me in the past. I want to have a new testimony ñ a new song to sing, a new story of Godís faithfulness today. I donít want to give out ìstale mannaî for others to eat. Today I want to experience His grace and faithfulness as if it were for the first time. I pray regularly that God will give me experiences today that will refresh my faith and make it stronger. That my testimony will be more beautiful today than the day I was saved. God is just as active today as He was when He created the universe or when He parted the Red Sea for Moses. Jesus can do the miracles today that He did while walking with man on this earth ñ He promised that we would do ìgreater thingsî in His name. He wants just as much of my heart today as when I first surrendered my life to His Lordship the day I met Him for the first time.

I see some people put their confidence in their good works and Christian lifestyle after theyíve known Christ for a few years. They have learned the correct doctrine and correct lifestyle, even the right language to use. But faith is only faith as long as it grows. When faith stops growing it has died. ìThe just will live by faithî. One author has said, ìwatch to see where God is working and go join Him there.î Thatís what Paul wanted to do. He was hearing about what God was doing in Rome ñ the whole world was watching Rome. Paul wanted to join God at work in Rome. Sometimes people change churches for the same reason. Sometimes pastors leave churches for this reason too. If we want to have a living faith, it has to have room to grow. Would anyone be interested enough in my faith to write a report about it? Does my faith inspire others to trust and believe in God? Who is watching me live out my faith?

2 Cor 3:2-3
"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

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