Seeds Of Hope Daily Devotional: Matthew 4:19

Showing posts with label Matthew 4:19. Show all posts

Thursday, July 21, 2016

"Pass It On"

Jascha Heifetz had a brilliant career as one of the world's greatest violinists. From his earliest concert at the age of nineteen and throughout his career as a violinist his performances demonstrated his mastery of the violin. He never ceased to command respect and this brought him the highest esteem of those who heard him play.

When his concert career ended, he was invited to become a professor of music at UCLA. Shortly after he accepted this position, a reporter conducting an interview with him asked, “Why did you change careers?”

He answered, “Violin playing is a perishable art. It must be passed on as a personal skill; otherwise, it will be lost.”

Christian living is a perishable art. It is a way of living that reflects “the way, the truth and the life” of Jesus Christ. And because it is perishable it must be passed on or the message of the Gospel will be lost and people will not come to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

When we become Christians, God gives us a new vocation - not an avocation. An avocation is what we do to entertain ourselves to escape the trying demands of life. The word vocation comes from the Latin word vocatio - a calling. All Christians have a calling.

When we become new creations in Christ, we are called to a new profession: to pass on the Good News.

Prayer: Lord, may we realize, recognize, respect and accept our new calling in Christ and be faithful witnesses to always pass on Your salvation to others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Matthew 4:19

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Frozen Assets

Years ago a fire destroyed a large warehouse that contained many tons of ice. Although the firemen had tens of thousands of gallons of water available to extinguish the fire, they could not be used. The ice was in “cold storage” and beyond reach. The building burned to the ground even though it was full of “frozen water.”

God has given each one of us unique gifts and talents, skills and abilities to do His work. We all are as different as our fingerprints and designed to do things that honor Him. Too often we imagine that what He wants us to do is beyond our capabilities.

We tend to see problems and issues that would require massive amounts of money or large numbers of people to bring change. We look beyond the immediate to the distant and find excuses not to do what God places before us.

If you recall the beginning of the earthly ministry of Jesus He invited ordinary men to join Him in His work. They had no special training but they did have a special commitment. We read that “they spent time with Jesus.” These “ordinary men” put aside their personal interests and began to see life through His eyes. He taught them to see the spiritual needs of others and how to meet those needs.

If we are willing to “spend time with Jesus,” follow Him closely, listen to Him carefully and pray to Him sincerely, we will be able to do the same.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to always be alert for opportunities to tell others of Your love, salvation and hope. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Matthew 4:19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Frozen Assets

Years ago a fire destroyed a large warehouse that contained many tons of ice. Although it had tens of thousands of gallons of water available to extinguish the fire, they could not be used. The ice was in "cold storage" and could not be reached. The building burned to the ground even though it was full of "frozen assets."

God has given each one of us unique gifts and talents, skills and abilities to do His work in His world. We all are as different as our fingerprints and designed to do things that honor Him. Too often we imagine that what He would have us to do is beyond our capabilities.

We tend to see problems and issues that would require massive amounts of money or large numbers of people to bring change. We look beyond the immediate to the distant and find excuses not to do the things at hand.

If you recall the beginning of the earthly ministry of Jesus, He invited ordinary men to join Him in His work. They had no special training but they did have a special commitment. We read that "they spent time with Jesus." They put aside their personal interests and began to see life through His eyes. He taught them to see the spiritual needs of others and how to meet those needs.

If we are willing to spend time with Jesus and follow Him closely, listen to Him carefully and pray to Him sincerely, we will be able to do the same.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to always be alert for opportunities to tell others of Your love and salvation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture: Matthew 4:19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.