Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a video of Daniel O’Donnell singing… Here I Am Lord, … declaring the commitment and dedication and courage of a Christian to surrender to God’s will and follow Him, … whatever His calling.
Highlight Passage: Psalm 144:1 [NKJV] …
1 Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, Whop trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle -
… If God calls us, He enables us.
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Highlight Context – Exodus 4:10-17 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Moses’ reluctant calling and his empowerment by God’s grace to lead God’s people out of Egypt
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Reference Passage #1 - Luke 9: 23 [NKJV] … 23 Then He said to them all (i.e, Jesus’ followers), “if anyone would desire to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
… Jesus declares what His calling to discipleship is all about.
Reference Passage #2 - Acts 1: 8 [NKJV] …
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
… Jesus, re-entering heaven, charges His disciples to be His witnesses, … giving us all the power we need to do so.
Reference Passage #3 - 2nd Corinthians 12: 9 [NKJV] …
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
… Paul remembering Jesus’ promise of God’s strength when Paul (or any believer) is weak.
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Jaime Fernandez Garrido, used a personal basketball story to illustrate his teaching. He writes, When former NBA player David Wood was playing for Taugrés de Baskonia, I was with him at a Spanish Basketball Cup final. Before one game, he read Psalm 144:1: “Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” He turned to me and said, “You see? It’s as if God has written this verse just for me! He trains my hands to catch rebounds and my fingers to shoot!” David felt called to play basketball and had learned that God takes us as we are and enables us to do what He calls us to do.
David Wood grasped a truth that many believers miss; and that is that God’s calling is His enablement. He would never give us a clear calling, as David Wood felt, that we didn’t have what it takes to accomplish for God’s glory. However, even the likes of a Moses, seeing his own human failings had trouble grasping that truth. In Exodus, Chapter 4 [see linked passage above], when Moses encountered God in the burning bush, God called the exiled Jew to go back to Egypt and lead God’s people to the Promised Land. But Moses balked, not having enough faith to respond as Daniel O’Donnell sings in the linked song above.
We Christians must always remember what Jesus said to disciples in Luke 9: 23, Acts 1: 8, and 2nd Corinthians 12: 9 - all copied above. He calls. He gives us His enabling grace; and all we have to do is follow Him. He will take care of the rest.
Do you believe Him? Well, if so, let’s go do it today!
My Prayer Today: Yes, Lord, … As I declared yesterday, Your grace is sufficient! … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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