DECEMBER 29
'God... will never give up on you.' 1 Corinthians 1:9
Think being a Christian isn't exciting? Check out these headlines:
Man in desert discovers burning bush that can't be extinguished.
Sea opens and thousands walk through on dry land.
Giant who threatened a nation killed by teen with slingshot.
Jewish girl saves her people from destruction.
Three young rebels survive blazing furnace.
Man brought back from the dead after four days.
City walls mysteriously fall.
Preacher swallowed by giant fish and lives to tell the tale.
Prophet caught up to heaven in a fiery chariot.
These aren't from the tabloids; they're from Scripture. Adventure means 'exciting and dangerous undertakings'. When you embark on the spiritual adventure Paul mentions, you can expect God to test your faith in ways you never imagined. The Bible talks about those 'who through faith conquered kingdoms... shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength' (Hebrews 11:33-34 NIV).
John Eldredge says:
'Adventure, with all its requisite danger and wildness, is a deeply spiritual longing written into the soul of man... Moses doesn't encounter the living God at the shopping centre. He finds him in the deserts of Sinai... Deep in a man's heart are fundamental questions that cannot be answered at the kitchen table... it's fear that keeps [him] at home where things are neat and orderly and under his control.'
When God wants to do something wonderful through you, He has to get you from where you are to where He is.
How about it: Are you ready to embark on a spiritual adventure with God?
Adapted from Word for today.
The song today is 'Look what God gave me' by the Isaacs, chosen by Bryn.
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Housekeeping details for you
The point of this short blog will become clear if you decide to use this reading in the way we intend it. Netherfield Seventh-day Adventist Church believes in healthy churches. You can see what that means if you head to the relevant Healthy Churches page of the website. We also want other churches to be healthy. That means you can join in our campaign to create healthy churches, with healthy people serving the people in those churches.
A healthy church is one where Jesus comes first. A healthy church is one where the people work together to put Jesus first. One thing we are doing is to join people together to spread that news. I would like you to look at our prayer partners page. This will explain how we want you to use this short devotional. Very basically we want you to find a like-minded Christian friend who you will join with to : choose to pray together every day, decide together on a way to serve other people together, to help them grow as Christians - and to invite the Holy Spirit into your life every day. This blog that you will receive every day simply gives a common spiritual purpose. If you are a newcomer and want to join the blog with this object in mind click here
