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September Devotional
THOUGHTS ON A SIGNIFICANT LIFE
What does it take to be significant to God?
How do you get God's attention?
Walking through the fire will gather God's attention
... so will the roar of a vicious lion ... and the rise
of threatening flood waters.
The Bible talks about some of the greatest men and
women of God whoever set foot on planet earth. People
like Daniel who heard the roar of the Lion ... Noah
who experienced the rising of the waters and the pounding
of relentless rain ... Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
who were caught in the grips of the flames ... Mary
who knew the criticism and judgment of those she knew
the best and loved the most.
The one astounding circumstance that all of these
very ordinary people had in common was not their singularly
happy lives ... it was not their wealth nor their socio-economic
standing ... it was not their striking good looks or
their trend-setting wardrobe or their Ivy League Education.
The one commonality among all great men and women
of God is suffering. It is longing for the promises
of God in spite of uncertain circumstances. What binds
these common folks to the possibility of significance
is unfair treatment, persecution and earthly disappointment.
The difference between most of us who wait and those
whose names are written in the Bible is that those
who were wise enough to garner God's attention knew
how to wait.
They knew who to walk through the fire. They knew
how to face a roaring lion.
They waited joyfully. They walked triumphantly. They
faced the lion with faith.
Do you want to be great in God's Hall of Fame? Do
you want God to know that you are serious about serving
Him? You will never be victorious if you wait impatiently
or walk with worry or face a lion with fear. You will
be one of the great ones if you know to deal with
circumstances that you would not choose in your own
humanity. The true heroes of the faith are those who
walk through the fire and are not burned by their
atrocious circumstances. A champion drowns out the
roar of the lion with the thunder of worship springing
from his or her own soul. The victorious conqueror
does not focus on the rising flood waters but on the
lifeboat of faith.
Who will you be? Will you remain ordinary and cave
in emotionally when you don't like your circumstances?
Or, will your name be written in the great history
books of God with those who have gone before? Will
your name be aligned with Abraham and Sarah ... with
Samson and Samuel ... with Elizabeth and Peter? It's
up to you ... you choose the way that you handle your
circumstances. You determine whether or not you will
be significant by how you walk ... how you wait ... and
how you face circumstances that you would not choose.
Let me encourage you to walk in worship ... to wait
with joy and to face the lion of your circumstances
with faith!
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