For today’s Daily Bread, I would like to talk about something very important to me. Today I am issuing you a CHALLENGE!
(I feel led to share here, so bear with me). I have always wanted to be different (those who know me will attest). I never wanted to be your average, just-like-everyone else girl. To me that was boring. So I am myself.
Then that got me to thinking. I acknowledged my physical life was going well, but, I thought, what about my SPIRITUAL life? If I wanted to be myself mentally and physically, shouldn’t I be that spiritually too? I delved deeper into that thought process, and discovered things lacking in my spiritual walk. Sure I did devotions, went to church, did good deeds and what not. Don’t get me wrong; I loved the Lord, but I felt as though I needed something more, some spice, something different in my spiritual life. That’s when I realized something else.
I was HUNGRY.
I was thirsting for more of God and His Word, hungry for some fire in my life. What I was doing was just not satisfying enough. That had to change.
"...but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14
I wanted my faith to be real, for others to look at me and know right away I was real, not just "oh yeah sure Whitney’s a Christian; she and her family go to church". For me it had to be more than that.
Writing these daily breads have greatly helped strengthen my spiritual walk. These force me to get into the Word, and thanks to that, I get so into it, that anymore I can’t get back out! I have a passion for writing, and I want a passion for the Lord; what better way to combine those two than in writing these online devotionals! What an awesome opportunity God has given me to share His Word, and knowing what I lacked, to share with my own soul as well. I thank God also I have good Christian friends to fellowship with, and challenge me in my faith. All of these things, including Campus Life at our school, Reign Down our band, all are "jazzing" up my spiritual life. Who could have done this? God of course! I prayed and He knew just what I needed; a good dose of spiritual medicine. And you know what? It’s working wonders.
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." John 7:37
To wrap up, I now come to the CHALLENGE I mentioned at the beginning. Enough about me; reflect now on your own life. Do you feel as I described, thirsting, needing something extra to jump-start the fire in your spiritual life? The remedy is simple; PRAY. Pray and ask for what you need. Don’t worry, God knows exactly what you need. Get things going that force you (yes, I mean force you!) to get into the Word; you not only discover new things, but do you realize you are feeding yourself?
So if you don’t know the Lord, pray right now for Him to come into your life. Believe, and He will save you. Maybe you believe, but feel it’s the same-ol-same-ol? Pray right now the Fire will be started. Fires die down if you don’t feed them wood. So is it with our spiritual fires. If we don’t continue to feed it, eventually it will go out. Then we will be little Christian babies forever; and I don’t know about you, but me who wants to be different wants to be that? No thanks! Please pass me some more faith, love, wisdom, humility, self-control, goodness, works, grace, gentleness, patience, kindness, mercy, understanding, helpfulness, peace, joy, fire, fellowship...............
Will you take the challenge?
Start and maintain your fire today!
Taking the CHALLENGE (and loving the spiritual goodies),
Whitney
(Feel free to comment (if you’d like) on whether you take the challenge God has given us!)
