For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek..
DAILY READING –Matthew 26:1-25; Numbers 35-36; Job 3
In the eighteenth-century Anglican clergyman George Whitefield was an outstanding preacher. He was one of the spearheads of the Great Awakening, which was a period of massive renewal of interest in Christianity across Western societies and a time of significant church growth. Whitefield was a riveting orator and is considered one of the greatest preachers in church history. He was also a man who decided to pour himself out for The Gospel of Jesus Christ. From his first outdoor sermon on February 17, 1739, at the age of 24 until his death 30 years later on September 30, 1770,, his life was one of almost daily preaching. Sober estimates are that he spoke about 1,000 times every year for 30 years. That included at least 18,000 sermons and 12,000 talks and exhortations to congregations numbering from 20,000 to 30,000. He preached almost six hours a day, seven days a week The daily pace he kept for 30 years meant that many weeks he was speaking more than he was sleeping.
He was a phenomenon not just of his age, but in the history of Christianity. There has been nothing like the combination of his preaching pace and geographic extent and auditory scope and attention-holding effect and converting power.
George Whitefield died at the age of 56 years. He preached even until the point of his death. He had just preached to a great congregation in Newburyport, Massachusetts, who followed him to his lodgings, urging him to preach again. Standing on the steps, with a candle in his hand, he preached until the candle flickered out. Then he went upstairs and died. He was buried there in the church, his grave today is beneath the pulpit of the Presbyterian church in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Indeed he gave his all and poured out all that was in him until his last breath.
We may not have to live as dramatically as he lived and died, but the lesson to be learned is that we are to give our all to The Lord. God requires us to love Him with all our heart, soul and mind.
In Ephesians 1:21 Paul said ‘For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain’
Paul’s central passion in life was that Christ will be honored and magnified. For him, to live is to show that Christ is magnificent. And this should be our central theme too. We must be on fire and burning for the world to see. It is the blazing fire of The Holy Ghost in us that can overcome the darkness of this endtime. Lukewarm Christianity will not do, we need to be as burning lights. Our lights must be burning and our lions girded about. Lev 6:13 says the fire shall ever be burning upon the altar, it shall never go out.
We are required to be spiritually on fire at all times. We must keep our lights constantly burning for the world to see. It is this burning light of the Gospel that will lead men out of the dark regions of sin and bondage to seek the true light of Christ.
Moderate Christianity will produce moderate results, and extreme Christianity will produce extreme results. God must be Lord of all or not Lord at all. Seeking God first has to be the priority. The place of God in our heart determines our placing upon the earth.
Proverbs 22:29 says “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men”
You cannot make God first, and become the last. If you will let Him get the throne of your heart, He will secure a throne for you on the earth. When you are lost in His will, He will be lost in your welfare. Indeed let today mark a new beginning in our quest for God. Let fresh fire be ignited in our hearts. Beloveth, stop living for things and start living for God! All you need is to seek first the kingdom of God, and every other thing will fall into place.
PRAYER: Lord, please help me to make You priority in everything, as I travel in this journey of life. Please keep my heart always panting after You and the affairs of Your Kingdom, May my zeal for You never wane in Jesus Name.
QUOTE: When God places His hand upon a man in life nothing can come against him, this is because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.