Daily Devotional for Tuesday January 12, 2010
Friday Evening When I Got Home, I Turned on the TV to Watch the News of the Day
(1 Timothy 4:12)
Friday evening when I got home, I turned on the TV to watch the news of the day, primarily the day's events in Israel. Sadly, I watched the reports of a suicide bomber that had attacked a grocery store that day. As tragic as that event was, I began to actually shed some tears as I saw that this particular suicide bomber was a 16-year-old Palestinian girl. They showed the video tape that she had made just hours before committing this horrible act. I looked into her eyes as she spoke and thought how sad that this young girl, with her life in front of her, would be so moved by hatred to even consider doing such a thing to herself and to the innocent people around her.
As I looked at her on my TV screen, I thought about the fact that approximately 30% of the 2.4million who get my Devotional each day are age 20 and under. Probably half are young women. What is so different from this young girl on my TV screen, and say a young woman the same age in Des Moines, Iowa, or St. Louis, Missouri, or Sacramento California? What is so different from this young Palestinian girl and YOUR DAUGHTER?
Our ultimate purpose in this life is to serve and glorify God with our life. Our lives can be used by God to fulfill His plan and purpose, to be vessels of honor, to make an impact in the lives of others for good. Or, we can choose to ignore God and allow our lives to be used by satan, to be vessels of dishonor, to make an impact in the lives of others for evil. Ultimately, that becomes our choice each and every day.
Sadly, this young Palestinian girl was born into a culture where the God of the bible, His Son Jesus Christ was rejected. She sadly bought into the lie that her life was best used to kill those that she was taught to view as the enemy of her people. The sad reality is that her act changed nothing! She is now dead and lost for eternity, and her brief life only brought death and destruction to herself and those innocent people who were around her at that grocery store.
I want everyone reading these words to take a moment right now and reflect on YOUR life. I don't care how young you are or how old you are. The fact is:
YOUR LIFE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD! GOD CAN USE YOUR LIFE TO BRING BLESSINGS TO THOSE THAT YOU MEET DURING YOUR JOURNEY IN THIS LIFE!
You see, my friend, that is not only our purpose for this life, but it MUST be our goal each and every day, to allow God to use us to be a blessing to others. This young Palestinian girl bought into the lie straight from the pits of hell itself, and the only impact her life had was that of death and misery. God wants to use YOUR life to bring blessings to others. Sadly, if the children of God were as committed to their task as the children of satan were, this world would change dramatically overnight! It seems those who have bought into the lies of satan, to use their lives as vessels of dishonor, do so much more willingly then the children of God!
I love you and care about you so much. There is one simple message in this word today. Allow GOD to use you to be an instrument of blessing to others! Just as satan used this young Palestinian girl to be an instrument of death and destruction, our God wants to use YOUR life to bless others. But YOU must be committed. Let me use my life as an example. For years, my ONLY goal was how I could use my time and talents to benefit ME. That was my focus every day.
When God changed my goals from ME to HE, Liveprayer became one of the results of that change. Over 2.4 million people worldwide read these words of hope and encouragement every day. Could I have done that? NEVER!!! I simply allowed God to take my life and use it for HIS glory instead of my glory. THAT is the challenge to you today. To EVERYONE reading these words. God can and will use you in even greater ways, IF, you are willing.
I am praying today that everyone who reads these words HEARS what God is saying to you. These are the last days. Time is running out. Whatever treasures you are trying to lay up for yourself here on earth are MEANINGLESS! God is saying to YOU today, forsake the things of this world and follow ME! I have work for YOU to do today. I want to use YOUR life to bless others.
Just as satan used this young Palestinian girl to destroy life, I want to use YOU to GIVE hope and encouragement to others. YOU are not too young or too old. God has a plan and purpose for YOU today. Please hear this word. Just as this young girl allowed satan to use her, today allow God to use YOU to bring life, hope, and encouragement to those in your life. You are not too young or too old. God wants to use YOU today!!!
In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller