GUEST DEVOTIONS

My Manna

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." John 7:37-38.

An estimated 500,000 tons of water go over Niagara Falls every minute.

On March 29, 1948, the falls suddenly stopped.

Those who lived near enough heard the overwhelming silence, and immediately they thought it was a sign – the end of the world had come!

However, after thirty hours had passed – the flow of water resumed.

What happened?

Heavy winds had set the ice fields of Lake Erie in motion and tons of ice had jammed the Niagara River entrance near Buffalo.

The ice blocked the flow of water until finally, there was a shift in the blockage and the river began flowing again.

The river had stopped flowing because of ice.

If we really want the flow of God’s love, peace, joy, and anointing in our lives-
- we cannot allow our hearts to become like ice.

If we do-
His life-giving current will stop.

Let the Lord search your heart for those areas-
- where the ice has built up and needs to thaw out.

He will show you where they are if you ask.

Our hearts should be burning for Him-
- so let the river flow... ​​once again!

MILES MCKEE

A DELIGHTFUL INSANITY

Galatians 5:16; “This I say then walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

Have you ever used the expression; ‘I couldn’t see the wood for the trees’? It means that, even though a truth is clearly evident, it goes unnoticed because of more attention being given to minor details. Galatians 5:16 is like that.

Let me explain. Countless numbers of believers are desperately trying to not walk in the flesh. They are trying not to do the things that are wrong in God’s sight. They are striving and struggling. As a result, they are continually beating up on themselves in the unending search for self-improvement.
This, however, is not wisdom.

Why so?

Simply stated… it doesn’t work!

Doesn’t work?

No, it doesn’t work.

Why not?

It doesn’t work for the simple reason that we are all like the man who hadn’t even thought about walking on the grass until he saw a sign which said, ‘DON’T WALK ON THE GRASS.’

The truth is this if we keep telling ourselves that we are not going to do something you can bet your money that sooner or later we will probably do it. That’s the nature of the beast.

To understand Galatians 5:16, (This I say then walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh) just picture two roads going in opposite directions away from you. One of them is the Road of the Spirit, the other the Road of the Flesh. We are not instructed to stand at the entrance to the “Flesh Road" and say ‘I’m not going down there, I won’t go down there.’ No! Not at all! If you look down that road for too long, you’ll go down it.

We are, however, to walk down the road of the Spirit. But how do we do that? Here’s one suggested way. Paul encourages us to “Speak toourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in our heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” (Ephesians 5:19-20).

We, because of what Christ has accomplished and finished for us in Hisdoing, dying and rising again are learning to sing and make melody in our hearts unto the Lord. We are learning to give thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are learning continually to look outside ourselves unto Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) the author and finisher of our faith.

As we walk in the Spirit, we are learning to worry about nothing, to be prayerful for everything and be thankful for anything (Philippians 4:6). By the way, living like this doesn’t mean that we shall not be assailed by the lust of the flesh, rather, it guarantees that we shall not fulfil it.

But let me warn you, if you live that way, singing and making melody in your hearts being worried about nothing, prayerful for everything and thankful for anything, people might say you are mad. But so what? It will be a madness filled with the wisdom of Heaven. It will be a delightful insanity, for in so walking you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.

And that’s the Gospel Truth!

UNKNOWN AUTHOR

Parable of the Fishless Fishermen

(author unknown)

Now it came to pass that a group existed who
called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were
many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the
whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes
filled with fish. And the fish were hungry.

Year after year these who called themselves
fishermen met in meetings and talked about their
call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they
might go about fishing.

Continually they searched for new and better
definitions of fishing. They sponsored costly
nationwide and worldwide congresses to discuss
fishing and to promote fishing and hear about all
the ways of fishing.

These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings
called "Fishing Headquarters." The plea was that
everyone should be a fisherman and every
fisherman should fish. One thing they didn't do,
however; they didn't fish.

They organized a board to send out fishermen to
where there were many fish. The board was
formed by those who had the great vision and
courage to speak about fishing, to define fishing,
and to promote the idea of fishing in far-away
streams and lakes where many other fish of
different colors lived.

Also the board hired staffs and appointed
committees and held many meetings to define
fishing, to defend fishing, and to decide what new
streams should be thought about. But the staff
and committee members did not fish.

Expensive training centers were built to teach
fishermen how to fish. Those who taught had
doctorates in fishology, but the teachers did not
fish. They only taught fishing. Year after year,
graduates were sent to do full-time fishing, some
to distant waters filled with fish.

Further, the fishermen built large printing houses
to publish fishing guides. A speaker's bureau was
also provided to schedule special speakers on the
subject of fishing.

Many who felt the call to be fishermen responded,
and were sent to fish. But like the fishermen back
home, they never fished.

Some also said they wanted to be part of the
fishing party, but they felt called to furnish fishing
equipment. Others felt their job was to relate to
the fish in a good way so the fish would know the
difference between good and bad fishermen.

After one stirring meeting on "The Necessity for
Fishing," a young fellow left the meeting and went
fishing. The next day he reported he had caught
two outstanding fish. He was honored for his
excellent catch and scheduled to visit all the big
meetings possible to tell how he did it.

So he quit his fishing in order to have time to tell
about the experience to the other fishermen. He
was also placed on the Fishermen's General Board
as a person having considerable experience.

Now it's true that many of the fishermen sacrificed
and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some
lived near the water and bore the smell of dead
fish every day. They received the ridicule of some
who made fun of their fishermen's clubs and the
fact that they claimed to be fishermen yet never
fished.

They wondered about those who felt it was of
little use to attend the weekly meetings to talk
about fishing. After all, were they not following
the Master who said, "Follow me, and I will make
you fishers of men?

Imagine how hurt some were when one day a
person suggested that those who didn't catch fish
were really not fishermen, no matter how much
they claimed to be. Yet it did sound correct. Is a
person a fisherman if year after year he never
catches a fish?

SPURGEON

Turning a sinner...

From Spurgeon's sermon, "CONVERSION"

"Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will
save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins."
-James 5:20

Hundreds of you are without God, and without Christ.

Why, poor hearts, do you know your sad condition?
Do you know that "God is angry with the wicked every day;"
that "the way of transgressors is hard;"
that "he that believes not is condemned already"?

Has it never been told you that "he that believes not
shall be damned"? and can you stand damnation?

My hearers, could you make your bed in hell?

Could you lie down in the pit?

Do you think it would be an easy portion for your souls to
be rocked on waves of flame forever, and to be tossed about
with demons in the place where hope cannot come?

You may smile now, but will not smile soon.

God sends me as an ambassador now; but if you do not listen
to me, he will not send an ambassador next time, but an
executioner. There will be no wooing words of mercy soon:
the only exhortation will hear will be the dull cold voice of
death, that shall say, "Come with me."

The only music you will hear will be the sighs of the damned,
the shrieks of fiends, and the yellings of the tormented.

O may God in his mercy snatch you as brands from the fire,
to be trophies of his grace throughout eternity!