Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and images from Clay Crosse, Bob Carlisle, and Bebe Winans singing … I Will Follow Christ … powerfully singing of how we, as Christians, must follow Christ’s calling to follow Him as His witnesses and light in this world.
Colin O'Grady crosses Antartica alone in 2018
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Highlight Verse[s]: Acts 20:24 [ESV] ... 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
… Paul knew his calling for Christ’s gospel, … do we?
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Highlight Passage [context]: Acts 20:17-24 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Paul knew his calling and exhorted fellow Christians to find their way in testifying to their (our) calling in/for Christ.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 5:14-16 [ESV] … 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
… Christ called all who would follow Him to be His light shining into this darkened world.
Reference Passage : … Matthew 29:19-20 [ESV] … 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
… Christ’s GREAT COMMISSION for all Christians with His promise to be with us in following His lead.
Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [ESV] … 23 And He said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ..."
… Christ’s charge to any who would claim to be His disciples.
Reference Passage : … Acts 1:8 [ESV] … 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
… At His ascension. Christ called all disciples to be His witnesses to the world.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Dave Branon, uses a story about an adventurer who felt called to cross Antartica, … Branon trying to illustrate the kind of commitment Christians should have to follow Christ’s calling on our lives. … The ODB author wrote: In 2018, endurance athlete Colin O’Brady took a walk that had never been taken before. Pulling a supply sled behind him, O’Brady trekked across Antarctica entirely alone—a total of 932 miles in 54 days. It was a momentous journey of dedication and courage. [see photo]
Commenting on his time alone with the ice, the cold, and the daunting distance, O’Brady said, “I was locked in a deep flow state [fully immersed in the endeavor] the entire time, equally focused on the end goal, while allowing my mind to recount the profound lessons of this journey.”
Jesus was petting clear about His calling for those who might be His disciples, wasn’t He (see the reference Scriptures above)? And the Apostle Paul was compelled to follow Christ’s calling for us to witness for Christ, desiring that his fellow Christians do what is sung in the linked song (see also Acts 20:24).
So, as we take in the song, Paul’s testimony in Acts 20, and Christ’s calling in Scripture (see reference passages above), several challenging questions jump out at me …
… Am I being a witness for Christ and His gospel every day (Luke 9:23 and Acts 1:8)
… In my testimony and witness, am I a light for others to come out of the darkness? (Matt. 5:14-16)
… Am I fulfilling Christ’s “great commission” for all Christians? (Matt. 28:19-20)
I don’t know about others reading here with me; but I need more of Colin O’Grady’s commitment to what drove him across Antartica to carry out Christ’s calling on my life.
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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for calling me to be Your witness in this world.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to keep on keeping on in my trek to follow Christ’s calling on my life. 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.</ span>
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