QBC DAILY NUGGET (Wednesday, Oct 29) - 1 KINGS 20:13-14 – And behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Lord, Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will give it into your hand this day, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 14 And Ahab said, “By whom?” He said, “Thus says the Lord, By the servants of the governors of the districts.” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” He answered, “You.” Theme of the Day: YOU AND ME. It was direct. It was simple. It didn’t require a lot of pondering or discerning. King Ahab simply asked two questions of the Lord, “By whom?” and “Who shall begin the battle?” He was sincere. He was open. He wanted direction. And the Lord gave him the right and simple answer – “You” (1 KINGS 20:14). Let’s take another question along the lines of King Ahab but this time it comes from the Lord Himself – “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’” (ISAIAH 6:8). The answer the Lord gave to King Ahab could also answer His own question – “You” and I would extend that to include “me”. When it comes to the work of the Gospel, which really could be defined as the “privilege” of the Gospel, the responsibility lies directly upon each of us. The Great Commission, given to the disciples, continues to be a mandate for all of God’s children – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (MATTHEW 28:19-20). How are we doing in obeying this command? We must always remember that our joy in the Lord and closeness to Him is directly related to our obedience. And it is obedience fueled out of love for the Lord and desire to be close to Him. Now when it comes to obeying the command to be about the business of the Gospel, it takes on various forms. Some are planters of the seed of the Gospel; some are those who water the seed, but it is God alone who reaps the harvest – “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 CORINTHIANS 3:6-7). Since we each are commanded to be sharing the Gospel, what is the number one prerequisite that must grip our hearts in order to consistently obey this paramount command? The answer is found in a great quote from Charles Spurgeon – “The soul-winner must first be a soul-lover.” It is only the love of Christ controlling us, a love that compels us to love the lost, that will sustain our obedience to the Great Commission. The Lord’s answer to King Ahab is also directed to us when it comes to who will get the Gospel into a lost world – “you” and that includes “me”, but it will only occur as the love of Christ controls us. Prayer: “Father, help me to see the work of the Gospel is not left to others but is also my responsibility.” Quotable: “Think often of the Judgment Seat of Christ. It is serious and an appointment we will not miss.”
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 09:35:20 +0000
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