The Devotional

Papa “J” says

There is something better about living one day at a time. The day is not clouded by yesterdays failure, nor is it masked by any misgivings of the morrow!

The word passion or suffering is one of those words that I associate with hunger. Hungry people tend to be very passionate about finding something to eat. If you have ever spent a day or two without being able to satisfy your hunger pains, then your passionate desire to eat, turns to suffering. If we really have a desire to know the passionate suffering of our Savior while He passed from life to death, spend a day or two in prayer and fasting. Bill Bright in his later days of life fasted for long periods of time. (Forty Days) I am not suggesting that all of us do that. Some folks cannot fast for health reasons, but what I am saying is; what we in Western Christianity know about “passion” for God is very little. The scripture states clearly that those of us who are saved are positionally righteous in Christ. Romans 4:22 and for some this is good enough. Yet, the scripture also commands and challenges us to be passionate for righteousness, Ephesians 6:14, to put on the new man who is created in righteousness Ephesians 4:24. This means having a hunger for the spiritual blessings of God, our inheritance. Matthew 5:6 and Ephesians 1:11.

The Third Epistle of John

3 John 5-8 If you apply yourself to the Word of God, all sorts of good things begin to shape up in your walk with the LORD. First there is a spiritual maturing that happens. The walk of the faithful in Christ lead them to do things for their brothers and sisters in Christ that God calls them to do. Then, guided by the Word of God, the Holy Spirit and the church, faith is exercised and the saints of God become bold enough to reach out to strangers.

This strong witness of the truth is motivated by the love of God that all the church is able to see and support. This backing of the saints within the church will send them forward in the grace of God. The journey of the missionary is one of the greatest steps of faith that we in the church could ever be a part of and it is a vital ministry. When God calls a person to go to the stranger, he or she, or both together need prayer and support, it is the only way for those involved to do well.

How will the missionary do well? They do well through the provision of the power found in the name of Jesus. For His Names' sake. Those who shepherd the sheep, will call for the sheep to provide and meet the need in order that when the Chief Shepherd appears, that church will receive the crown of Glory. 1 Peter 5:1-5. This does not happen if people do not have a passionate desire to serve the Living God.