Shepherd

 
Monday, December 29, 2008
 
 
Dear Faithful One,
 
There are days when the reality of all that God has done for me, personally, overwhelms me to the point of being awestruck over the magnitude of His love for me.  As I pray for those who have not come to believe the Truth of Who Jesus is, and who have not yet accepted the gift of His love, I am overcome with gratitude to my Lord for showing Himself so intimately and personally to me, and for allowing me to come to the knowledge of His saving grace, and to walk in His way, for most of my life.
 
As I praise Him for all that He has done, the conviction of how little time I have spent sharing His message of grace, with others, sets in.  With all that He has done for me I have realized just how much of that love I have hoarded for myself and neglected sharing it with others.  While I've never considered myself an evangelist I do know, through the Scriptures, that we have all been commissioned to be "witnesses" to the world.  "You are My witnesses of these things" (Luke 24:48). 
 
In the past several years I have become more aware of the "divine appointments" the Lord has placed in my path.  With eyes wide open and ears more in tune, from being a diligent student of His Word and faithful in prayer, my heart has become more responsive to those opportunities I am given each day to give the reason for the hope that I have (reference 1 Peter 3:15).  I pray daily for greater boldness and courage to share His Truth, whether from my mouth or in text (the latter being, what has recently become, the easier route), and to not miss any opportunity that comes my way.
 
My prayer is for believers everywhere to realize how great their impact is (within their own circle of influence) to share the gospel message and to bear witness to the testimony of God's saving grace in their own lives.  The message is simple, honest, and True - and when given from the heart of one whose life has been radically transformed by the love of Christ it has power to change the world...one life at a time.   May you daily feast on His Word so you will be prepared to fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel wherever He leads you! 
 
"Whoever acknowledges Me before men,
I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven."
(Matthew 10:32) 

 
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all! (2 Corinthians 13:14)
 
Traci Alexander
Trumpet and Torch Ministries
John 1:14
 
 
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Day Four: Revealing the WITNESS of God
 
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in Judea
and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
(Acts 1:8) 
   
 
Breakfast: Four Calling Birds - Focus on John 10:1-42 
 
"When the Counselor comes, whom I will sent to you from the Father,
 the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me.
And you also must testify, 
for you have been with Me from the beginning."
(John 15:26-27) 
 
The apostles were chosen by the Lord to experience continuous and intimate fellowship with Him.  They were personally selected and taught by Jesus to bear testimony to the Truth; and, as eyewitnesses to His glory, to share His message of salvation with the world.   "On My account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to Gentiles" (Matthew 10:18).
 
"On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...four calling birds..."  The first four Books of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are called the "Gospels."  They are the authoritative writing of the the life of Jesus and His teachings.  They are not a complete biography of Jesus, but they give enough of the account of His birth, life, death, and ministry to bear witness and testify to the Truth of Who He is to bring people to faith in Him.  "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name"  (John 20:31).
 
How blessed we are that these chosen witnesses were faithful to respond to, and record, all that had been given to them by the Holy Spirit; and that many other servants, witnesses, and translators diligently continued that faithful task to produce the written Word in a format we could all read and respond to! "Jesus did many other things as well.  If everyone of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written" (John 21:25).
 
We may never know the lives we are blessing by simply writing Scripture in a card or email, or sharing a word of encouragement on the phone or in person, or even keeping a journal of the testimony of God's work in our lives as a legacy for our family.  The power of God is behind every word in His Holy Bible - it important that we commit ourselves to studying, applying, and utilizing these precious words that have been handed down, and preserved like a priceless treasure, these many years.  "So is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11).
 
"Let this be written for a future generation,
that a people not yet created may praise the LORD." 
(Psalm 102:18)
 
 
Lunch: Finding Meaning...in being a Witness - Focus on Ecclesiastes 4:4-8, 13-16
 
"And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from
man's envy of his neighbor.
This too is meaningless a chasing after the wind." 
(Ecclesiastes 4:4) 
 
 
As believers, we have been tasked with "making disciples of all nations" (reference Matthew 28:19-20).  Often, however, we find ourselves busy (and buried) with our own plans that we have neglected our higher calling and commission.  Each of us has been given a position of authority to bear witness to the love of Christ in the place where we are at - whether that be at home, school, in our business, work, or in ministry.  Our testimony is simply an expression of what He has done in our lives - for some that might be with the extra time we have, or the extra resources or money we have been given, the special talents and abilities we have, or the gifting towards hospitality or mercy that can be used to bless another life.
 
We have been blessed with gifts, talents, and abilities to be used for God's glory.  "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Colossians 3:23).  Our daily lives, in whatever work we have to do, is to be a witness and testimony of His presence, power, protection, and provision in our lives.  His love should effortlessly pour through us into the lives of those He has surrounded us with.
 
Our labors should spring forth from a response of gratitude towards the love we have received from our Lord.  There is no greater motivator than the love of God.   When we are working out of His love our goals and achievements are focused solely on bringing Him pleasure and expressing our love in response to His.  Our great reward is the pleasure of His face shining upon ours - everything else pales in comparison!  May we take time today to reflect on our current goals and be sure our desires for success are centered on a greater opportunity to bear witness to His love with a greater circle of influence! 
 
"When his master saw that the LORD was with him
and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did,
Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant.
Potiphar put him in charge of his household,
and entrusted to his care everything he owned."
(Genesis 39:3-4)
 
 
 
 
Dinner: The Sovereignty of God - a Matter of Witness - Focus on Daniel 4:17, 25-27, 35-37
 
 "The decision is announced by messengers,
 the holy ones declare the verdict,
so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign
over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes
and sets over them the lowliest of men."
(Daniel 4:17)
 
Daniel had an opportunity, once again, to interpret the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar.  This time the king, himself, had two opportunities to recognize the power of God and give Him all glory, honor, and praise.   The Lord's revelation of his dream showed that he still had areas of pride that needed to be dealt with.
 
Daniel's prayer of praise, in chapter two, duly noted that it is God alone that "sets up kings and deposes them" (Daniel 2:21).  The Lord determines who is placed in positions of authority to accomplish His greater kingdom purposes.  His desire is that none would perish but that all would come to repentance (reference 2 Peter 3:9).  He accomplishes this by transforming each life that He touches.   For Nebuchadnezzar, that process would take a number of years, but God's timing is perfect as His plans would be to affect the greater good of an entire nation in the end.
 
There are many stories of faithful (sometimes anonymous) witnesses whose lives radiated the truth of God's love so intensely that the Lord used them to affect the lives of great leaders, missionaries, and evangelists who have been used by God to ignite great revivals throughout history.  We may never know whose life God is allowing our testimony to touch - that is why we must remain faithful in all circumstances.  Meditating on the lives of Joseph and Daniel, we find two faithful servants who lived in captivity, but who God placed in positions of honor and influence for the good of a nation. 
 
As this day comes to a close, may we prayerfully set before the Lord our responses to the people, positions, and opportunites He has placed in our path, asking Him to give us a spirit of peace and praise in all situations so that others will see our response and long to know the reason for the hope that we have.  May every moment give rise to opportunity to bear witness to His magnificent love!  How blessed we are to know such love!   
 
"Now I...praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven,
because everything He does is right and all His ways are just.
And those who walk in pride He is able to humble."
(Daniel 4:37) 
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A Word of Encouragement
 
" Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few things; 
 I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your Master's happiness."
(Matthew 25:21)
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My Journal

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