God Will Help You Succeed

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 39

Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name. They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid... And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord God. (Ezekiel 39.25-26, 29)

Devotional Thought: When I was being interviewed for ordination as a minister of the gospel, I - along with my wife, Lana - sat before an august board of ordained ministers who were questioning me on matters of theology and practice.  At one point, they asked me a question about what it means to be filled with the Spirit.  I was stumbling around with my answer, missing what they obviously wanted to hear.  Eventually one of the ministers gave me a hint, saying something about the cleansing of the heart.  I picked up on it and quickly answered their concerns.  They wanted me to pass that interview.  They wanted me to succeed.  (Lana later told me that as they were questioning me, she kept trying to channel the thought "Cleansing...  Cleansing... Cleansing..." into my mind.)

I have served on several district boards of ministry in the Church of the Nazarene, examining candidates for ministry.  Many times, I have heard these or similar words: "We are not here to doubt your call to ministry or make it difficult for you to answer your call.  We want to help you succeed in ministry."  Those words are then followed by some pretty hard questions and demands!

The Lord wants you to succeed, too!  Remember these words of the prophet Isaiah: "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore, he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" (Isaiah 30.18, NIV)

Prayer: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions."  Amen.  (Psalm 51.1)

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 49.10-15

10 For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names.

12 Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.

13 This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah

14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.

15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah