Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Our Daily Bread | Daily Devotionals

Our Daily Bread | Daily Devotionals



A hero to a generation of people who grew up after World War II, Corrie ten Boom left a legacy of godliness and wisdom. A victim of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, she survived to tell her story of faith and dependence on God during horrendous suffering.
“I have held many things in my hands,” Corrie once said, “and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that, I still possess.”
Corrie was well acquainted with loss. She lost family, possessions, and years of her life to hateful people. Yet she learned to concentrate on what could be gained spiritually and emotionally by putting everything in the hands of her heavenly Father.
What does that mean to us? What should we place in God’s hands for safekeeping? According to the story of the rich young man in Mark 10, everything. He held abundance in his hands, but when Jesus asked him to give it up, he refused. He kept his possessions and he failed to follow Jesus—and as a result he “went away sorrowful” (v.22).
Like Corrie ten Boom, we can find hope by putting everything in God’s hands and then trusting Him for the outcome.
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live. —Van de Venter
No life is more secure than a life surrendered to God.

Insight

In Mark 10:1-16, Jesus taught about the demands of discipleship, including the necessity for childlike faith. Here in the encounter with a rich young man, Jesus spoke of the need to love God totally—fully and unreservedly. This young leader lacked unrivaled allegiance to God because he loved his earthly possessions more (v.22). In His teaching, Jesus had warned, “No servant can serve two masters. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13). The young man’s actions sadly illustrated this principle. His story is also told in Matthew 19:16-22 and Luke 18:18-23. Paul too warned of the subtle lure of material riches in 1 Timothy 6:17-19.

20 thoughts on “Giving It To God”

  1. dmhatt
    Amen.
  2. pnkorsi
    Give them all to Jesus, He will never fail
  3. syhall
    For Boilers, in response to your request, I’m offering prayer for successful surgery and healing for all health issues in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus and by His stripes, there is healing according to His word.
  4. ahyordele1
    At Boilers,the Operation is Declared a Success & everything concerning the Person is Settled in Jesus Name.
    At Doctor Perspective,many Thanks.
    Wealth is given unto Man by God(Isaiah 48:17) and He wants all to Prosper(3 John 2).However,Riches gotten illegitimately shall not last but Slip away(Psalms 73).We’re Primarily Blessed to Be a Blessing to the Whole Wide World and not Necessarily in terms of Material things but in terms of Rendering Other Good Humanitarian Services like Ministering to the Less Privileged,the Abandoned in word of Encouragement ,Counsel etc.
    May God Make Our Life A Great Blessing to the Whole Wide World as Father Abraham,Isaac,Apostle Paul…Jesus Were.Amen!
  5. lehel
    we cannot keep the commandements just through the love of God.
  6. Boilers
    May I seek your prayers on behalf of someone who is having an operation and has a few health and personal issues. Thank you
    1. ruthng
      About Giving to God – it’s not about your money and material possessions – it’s about your heart – GIVE ALL YOUR HEART TO JESUS and find beyond all your dreams what He will do with your life!
      Remember what God did with the 2 fish and 5 loaves the unnamed boy gave to Jesus at the feeding of 5000. Imagine if that child was you – WOW!
      2 Quotes from Corrie Ten Boom
      “Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.” ― Corrie ten Boom
      “What wings are to a bird, and sails to a ship, so is prayer to the soul.
      ” ― Corrie ten Boom
      {Dear Boiler, thanks for sharing your prayer need: May the Lord intervene as His grace is sufficient for your friend too.}
  7. annjones68
    My summary from “doctor perspective” on accessing God’s immeasurable love.
  8. annjones68
    Be a channel of blessing and not a reservoir of earthly possessions. Only then we can can continue up have direct access to
  9. doctor-perspective
    Our perspective on our possessions determines whether we live for them, or whether we live for God. One thing is certain, we cannot live for both.
    The inspiring story of Corrie Ten Boom reminds me of another story that ended in tragedy… or so it seemed. Jim Elliott and four of his American friends dedicated their lives to evangelizing the savage Auca Indians in Equador. They lost their lives at the end of the spears of the Indians, after bestowing tons of gifts on them, and because they refused to fire their guns when the Indians attacked.
    Jim’s son returned years later to the jungle, found the man who killed his father, confronted him, overpowered him and then forgave him. The Indians always remembered the five strange white men who were kind to them and refused to kill them. They were willing to listen to the next wave of Missionaries who visited their jungle, and many gave their lives to Jesus Christ. Jim Elliott wrote in his journal, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
    A healthy perspective of our possessions begins with the fact that, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” (1 Timothy 6:7) With this reality firmly entrenched in our mind, we need to consider the frailty of our lives in between birth and death. “…For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. (James 4:14) However, within the center of this vapor, “…you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…” (Deuteronomy 8:18).
    After we have grasped the tenets of this healthy perspective on our possessions we are ready for the advanced details. God gives us, and allows us to acquire possessions for His Name sake, and not for ours. Go back to Deuteronomy 8 and look at the end of verse 18 – “…that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers…” James emphasizes the teaching in reverse. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” (James 4:3)
    In 1 Chronicles 29:9-14, we see a near perfect picture of God’s people with a healthy perspective on their possessions. Observe that they understood that honour, power, majesty and everything in heaven and earth belongs to God. They rejoiced and gave willingly.
    Now listen to the key in verse 14: “But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You.”
    God expects us to be channels through which His blessings flow, and not reservoirs in which they are stored. It is paradoxical that the more we understand and accept this principle, the more wealth and possessions will flow through us. As more and more flows through us, we shall have direct access to more and more.
    Finally, genuine love for our fellow man, lost as well as saved, will impact our perspective on the things we possess. When in relationship with God, it is very difficult if not impossible to see your brother in need of this word’s goods and look the other way, when God has placed you in a position to help and lays it on your heart to help. At the same time God expects you to be a good steward and to increase the assets He has given you.

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