Daily Devotional from Jen Auer 03-27-23

“You are certainly under the guidance of the Holy Ghost, or you wouldn’t have come where you now are.”
(C.S. Lewis; Love Expands)

King David wrote today’s psalm, and he wants us to consider the vast glory of God; and so, he places the world that God created on display for us to be reminded of His limitless glory.

Think for a moment, the same God that created the universe, day, night, sound, heaven, and the list goes on and on, created YOU & ME! So, when we sit in awe of His creation, we really should be in awe of ourselves as a strategic part of that same creation.

We cannot fully travel the path that God has for us until we fully realize that we are a part of His vast creation and strategic plan. “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10:31)

Psalm 19:1-6 (NLT)

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.

2 Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.

3 They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.

4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.
God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.

5 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.

6 The sun rises at one end of the heavens
and follows its course to the other end.
Nothing can hide from its heat.

Now that we are reminded of the infinite measure of God’s glory, how do we, as the Church, resonate His glory since it is clearly a part of our Family’s mission.

Think for a moment about when the Apostle Paul wrote today’s letter to the church in Ephesus, which was probably sometime between AD 60 to 100. The Church was growing, and the Light of Christ was being spread like fire by the Holy Spirit. Now think about your work for the Church. Do you aid in growing the Church, are you on fire for Jesus, and how often do you allow the work of the Holy Spirit to spread that fire for Christ through you? You might be thinking, well, I am not gifted the same way as Paul or the other Apostles, and that is fair…but, are you using your God given gifts as explosively as the Church did during the time that today’s letter was written?

Remember, YOU are a glorious creation, a one-of-a-kind masterpiece from the Master Himself, and within you are gifts He chose specifically for you to use to further grow our Family, and so those gifts need to be shared for the glory of God’s Kingdom. Never ever forget your value and open yourself up all of the time for the Holy Spirit to move through you.

Ephesians 4:7-13 (NLT)

7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,

“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”

9 Notice that it says, “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. 10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we cannot thank You enough for choosing to make us as a part of Your creation. Please forgive us, Father, when we do not consider our value in Your Kingdom. Help us to grow in our understanding of the specific plan that You have for each of us, and how it fits into Your vast plan for Your Church. Holy Spirit, please guide us to know our gifts and to be able to grow in using them for the greater good of God’s Kingdom. Also, help us to value the gifts in others and to work as One for the Family. We ask all of this in Your Holy and Glorious Name, Jesus. Amen.