Daily Devotional for Friday November 26, 2010
One of the Lessons I Learned from a Wise Old Preacher was that You Can Only Control What You can Control Yourself
(Deuteronomy 28:22)
One of the first lessons I learned in the early days of ministry from a wise old preacher was that you can only control what you can control yourself! One of the issues dominating the news over the last few weeks has been the growing tensions between India and Pakistan, made all the more serious because both countries possess nuclear weapons.
Should they decide to use their nuclear arsenal, estimates have ranged from 3 million to 20 million would be immediately killed, and the fallout would be felt in every corner of the world, including here in the United States. It is a VERY serious issue and one that we all need to be praying about. Pray above all that the leadership of these nations will find a peaceful solution to their issues without resorting to using their nuclear weapons.
However, the reality of the world that we live in is this. One day, some nation WILL use a nuclear weapon. One day, there will be a full-scale nuclear war that will change the lives of every person who is living. One day, nation will fight nation and this world as we know it will cease to exist. I say this without hesitation because I have read the Book of Revelation, and while the particular details may not be fully known, the worldwide destruction that will take place is clearly laid out in God's Word.
So how are you and I supposed to deal with what is happening in India and Pakistan today? How are you and I supposed to deal with the inevitable fate of this world that we live in? The Bible is quite clear. Only God knows for sure when these end-time events will unfold. It may be in the next hour, the next week, the next month, the next year, or in the next 100 years. ONLY GOD KNOWS!
Our responsibility is not to try and read the tea leaves of international events and try to fit them into Bible prophecy, but to live our lives each day for Him. God is VERY explicit in His Word that tomorrow is promised to NOBODY! Our job is to treat each day as the gift from God that it is and do our best to serve Him and glorify Him.
WE CANNOT CONTROL THE ACTIONS OF OTHERS, BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR OWN ACTIONS. GOD WILL NOT HOLD US RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT OTHERS CHOOSE TO DO, BUT WHAT WE CHOOSE TO DO!
Even though God originally created man to live forever, we destroyed that by our sin. Now death is part of the human experience. Because God so loved us, He has made a way for us to live eternally with Him through Jesus Christ. This time here on earth is but a brief journey. Our ultimate purpose is to serve Him and glorify Him with our lives. Regardless if we live only 20 years, 30 years, 60 years, or 100 years, the time here is brief. So it must be our number one priority each day to walk with the Lord and serve Him the best that we can.
I love you so much and care about you. While we must pray for the leaders of our nation, we also must pray for those in leadership in nations all over the world. What they do can have a dramatic impact on our lives. But most of all, we must never lose sight of how precious this life is and how quickly it will be over. God will open up avenues of service for each of us. We must be serious about serving the Lord each day, since God can use your life to bless others. YOU become an instrument in His hands to reach others with the love and hope of Jesus Christ.
GET SERIOUS TODAY ABOUT MAKING EACH DAY OF YOUR LIFE COUNT FOR GOD, SINCE WE NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL BE OUR LAST!
In closing, there are literally hundreds of millions of people alive today who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Take 5 minutes out of your day today and pray for all of those people to have open hearts to hearing the message of God's love for them. The greatest way God can use your life is to simply share the love of Jesus Christ with someone who is lost and hurting.
Jesus reached out with love to those He met along His brief journey. Let us each follow HIS example and do the same. One way you can do that is to commit 5 minutes today, and pray for God to open the hearts of all those living today who are lost and without the hope we have in His Son. You can't control what will ultimately happen in India and Pakistan, but you CAN PRAY!
NEVER FORGET, GOD WILL HAVE THE FINAL WORD!
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller