Deeper Still by phil mccallum

Press the arrow to listen to “Oceans will Part” sung by Annie Mcintosh at Hillsong while reading today’s devotion.

Scripture
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. 2 Thessalonians 1:11

Observation
Life is like a coloring book. God draws the lines and we are to fill them in. There is a call he gives to us, but within that call there is latitude to explore, create and express. There are nuances in us that God delights to discover. He finds these by granting us some degree of freedom of expression in the work he has given to us to do. How we color in the lines gives him delight.

The bottom line is that God is not a micro-manager. There is a pattern well established in the Bible. He gives a person an opportunity and then leaves them for awhile to see what they make of that responsibility. When he returns to inspect, the future work given depends on what has been made of the first assignment. Faithful servants are given more talents. Unfaithful ones are left empty handed.

How then can we know what color to choose and how to shade in the spaces? Paul expressed it well when he wrote, “May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.” (NLT) There are good ideas. There are demands. But in the midst of them all are some responsibilities glow with our faith. No one has to talk us into them. We find them on our minds and in our prayers, because there is something intrinsically right about them. We can do more than just imagine it, we can believe it.

Application
When we find that thing to do that we have faith to do it with, we must pour heart and soul into getting it done. Faith filled acts is where God desires to bless us.

Prayer
Father, today, as I choose my Crayolas and color in the lines, help me to chose the works that make the greatest eternal difference. There is so much latitude in your call. Help me to use that freedom to its fullest. Sometimes I am daunted by the freedom you give to us. Instead, let me be released. Amen.

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Press the arrow to listen to Jeremy Camp sing “No Matter What”

Scripture
This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt. Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation—men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys. 1 Samuel 15:2-3

Observation
Saul did not clean up his plate and left a mess for others after him to contend with. Moses had been given a promise that one day the pesky Amalekites would be destroyed. They were the first nation to attack Israel when they left Egypt. It was gifted to Saul to fulfill the promise. But he didn’t do the job thoroughly and a few slipped through the net.

Roll the clock forward centuries to the book of Esther and discover the cost of Saul’s mistake. Haman, prime minister of King Artaxexes (the Persian king of the movie 300 fame), plots a holocaust to execute every Jewish person in the world.

Who was this Haman? Esther 3:1 gives the link. Haman was a descendent of the king of Amalek. He had a centuries old score to settle with Israel. Because Saul did do the job completely the entire nation was threatened and it was left to a woman to save the day.

Application
There is a cost of half-heartedness. We may pay the price, or those that we love. Whoever pays it, the longer the wait, the more the inflation of cost. We must complete the works God has given us to do.

Prayer
Father, let me be a completer of your works and not just a starter. Amen.

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