Scripture

But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen…

~Acts 26:22, NIV

Quote

It is the Spirit and Word of God that brings men to salvation not the oratory of men.

~Charles F. Stanley

I suppose we preachers drift between two extremes. One extreme would be our self-importance and feeling indispensable. The other would be feeling so unworthy that we want to quit and let someone else more qualified take our place. Paul reminded the Philippians…it is God who is at work in you to give you both the desire and the energy to do what pleases Him. We have to remind ourselves quite often, that sharing the gospel does not require talent or special gifts. The power of the gospel has nothing to do with human ability. Effective evangelism and ministry depends on complete reliance on the Spirit of God to empower and use us. Our responsibility is to present the gospel and to exalt Jesus. Jesus promised, “If you lift Me up, I will draw all men unto Myself.” Our job is not to draw or to convict but simply to lift Jesus up. It is the Spirit and the power of God that draws men and brings them to salvation. The self-same Spirit sanctifies us and empowers us to witness.

John the Baptist is my hero. He didn’t dress up. Although he was of the priestly line, he never dressed like a priest and he loved the open country. John was not comfortable in big cities. He was also bold as a lion. The one thing he was not, was traditional. No sir, John didn’t fit the mold: he was unique. He never did one miracle but everything he said about Jesus was true. Wow, what legacy. LORD, I want to be like John. I want to speak the truth about Jesus. I want to exalt Him. I want to lift Him up! I cannot draw men. I cannot convict men of their sin but I can exalt Jesus.

When you have a few minutes and just want to worship…watch this video…If you are in a hurry–don’t bother. Close your eyes and lift your hands…no one is watching other than the ONE you are exalting.

 

EXTRA

One thing I have learned: you never know what a day will produce. Proverbs 16:9 comes to mind, We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. I did get to visit with Mrs. Leona yesterday. Gaines promotion is going to be hard on her. Right now she is surrounded by family which is good. We all need to pray for Mrs. Leona Burden. I don’t have the exact figures but her and Gaines have been married over 70 years. If I understood correctly, Gaines was a WWII vet. I think he went to Japan. The family is making arrangements this morning.

I also visited Joyce Chaney who is still very weak from a UTI but getting better daily. I plan to check on Vellene and Whitey after lunch. Have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.