Becoming the Man God's Future Requires

Good morning, sir!

Welcome to day three!  I thank you for opening this email!  What you do every day, transforms you!  So it’s no small thing that you’re here again confirming your desire to abide in Him!  Please pray with me: Lord, this is the day that You have made!  I will rejoice and be glad in it!  I delight to pursue You, to know You, to hear Your still small voice.  Mingle Your Spirit with my spirit now as I pause here to be with You.  Nourish me with Your daily bread for me!  In Jesus’ name, amen!

Remember when Pastor Paul talked about the Pharisees?  On the outside, they had built impressive spiritual lives, but on the inside they were, as Jesus said, ‘whitewashed tombs.’ Not exactly polite words, in the religious world!  But His harsh words here were necessary because they were to be the ones who represented God to the people.  Yet their outward appearance of righteousness concealed hearts that were far from Him. And we can have that same heart.

I’ll never forget the rebuke I received from a member of a group of CBN donors who came to see our work in Ukraine.  When they arrived at the airport, and we were getting all their luggage, I spoke harshly to one of the luggage helpers.  And this shocked the CBN donor so much that later, he said, I was embarrassed for you the way you spoke to that person.  There was nothing gracious in my speech or conduct.  Ouch!

But I needed that rebuke badly. I could easily show donors how many millions of people we were reaching with the gospel, but if I didn't reflect Christ in the way I spoke to someone helping us with our luggage, what did all those impressive results say about the condition of my heart?

Pride says, look at my results!  Humility says, look at my heart!

Let’s close with this prayer: Lord, keep me from spiritual blindness!  Lord, I know You look on the heart, so let ‘the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight!’ Psalms 19:14 Amen