Image from joeiovino.com
Hear the devotional here: http://bit.ly/3a8UNkX
1.The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. 2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. 3 Our God comes, he does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, round about him a mighty tempest. 4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: 5 "Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!" 6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! [Selah] 7 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God. 8 I do not reprove you for your sacrifices; your burnt offerings are continually before me. (Psalm 50:1-8 RSV)
Happy Thursday, ConCafe Family! May God's blessings renew and refresh your life and spirit, dear Friend! I pray you are blessed beyond your wildest needs! Remember those who need prayers abd pray for them! Pray for other readers and pray for yourselves.
The graphic at the top is a quote from The Rev. John Wesley, founder of Methodism. It was an answer to questions people had about this life-changing movement that some credit with being so powerful that Britain never had a civil war because lives were being transformed for the Lord. His simple answer was that he feared that in the future, the people called Methodists might "exist only as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power." In reading the psalmist today, that was precisely what had happened with Judaism at that time. They were a religious people but not powerful as they once had been. Even today, we hear notable people of that faith declare they are secular Jews but do not practice their faith or attend worship. It is a very sad indictment on any one who says and believes that, but more a tragic rejection of God.
The psalmist knows God to be a God who is fully in control from the dawn of each day until the setting of the sun. To see the sun rise from behind a mountain, like Mt. Zion, was to see the beauty and power of God shining forth on the earth. That sunshine is seen as being a loud declaration, for as he writes, "God does not keep silence, before Him is a devouring fire, round about Him a mighty tempest. He is a God who calls out to creation to bring forth the people whom He will judge. God desires His faithful to come before Him, who have made and maintained the covenant with God; but even they will not escape the anger God has towards those who practice religion but no longer love God or God's people, and "play" church without the meaning and purpose of being truly God's people.
Bishop Ray Owen served as a pastor in Oklahoma before being elected bishop. He loved to share stories of his pastorates as well he should for he was very successful and blessed in reaching the unchurched. In one of those churches, he lived next door to a very rough man who was gruff and almost brutal in his treatment of his own children. Bishop Owen trembled when he heard the loud voice of a father who demanded much from his children. So, being a pastor, he went over to try and share with him the gospel of Jesus. The man did not hide the fact he had no time for religion because he knew too many from his church who only "played" church. That did not deter the bishop from sharing Jesus. The man came to faith and a change came over his entire life. No longer did the man come home from work and yell at his children, now he gathered them up and spent time with them in the playground across the street, and soon began to take them to church with he and his wife. The power of love became the driving force in this man's life. It wasn't too long before this man came to knock on Rev. Owen's door to ask how he might become a preacher too. The man did not have a high school diploma, but his pastor knew how to motivate the man to get his GED, enter into a licensing school and subsequently into a summer course of study and soon the man had his own church.
The days today call for more people to abandon the play of church, for the power of God. Changed lives and transformed hearts are what the world needs to see so that they too may come to the power that is freely available to all in the gospel of Jesus Christ. How do you see this in your life, dear one? Are you still one who "plays" by checking all the boxes we've been led to believe makes us "religious" without having that power-encountering experience that can change us for the better? Until we open our heart to allow Christ Himself to check the box of love, we will continue to wander aimlessly and away from Him. It's not too late to take stock of our lives and to allow us to invite Jesus to make Himself real to us and bring life, love, and power to our homes, our families, our churches, our communities, and ultimately our nation, and eventually the world.
PRAYER: Awesome God of love and power, fill the emptiness of our hearts with the reality and power of You, so that we may find in You meaning and purpose like we so desperately need. Change us fro the better so that we can change others too. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Live a life that is power.ful. It begins with Jesus.
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
You can hear yesterday's narration here on this site. https://soundcloud.com/evalverde/the-awesome-prophet-of-god
