Greetings in the name of the Lion Of Judah, Jesus Christ – THE Crucified and Risen Saviour! What a beautiful morning in the kingdom! I trust that the sun is shining in your heart and soul this day, melting and warming and revealing. I will be praying for you today, asking Father to speak to you with words of strength and encouragement.
Yesterday, I began to read one of those kind of interesting but gentle observations on Christian life entitled: “Why Christians must be readers.” I am not sure what I expected, but was caught off-guard by some statistics: only 26% of the Christians polled read the Bible regularly…with 57% saying only 4 times a year – and less than 25% said that they even read a book in the last year. This is challenging to someone who reads two books a week, plus my study/preparation reading. Then a quote was shared that I have been meditating upon: “If you want to become a leader, you need to become a reader”… “If we don’t have a desire or passion or an attention span for it, then we must create it. Follow the words of John Wesley who, in responding to a preacher who thought reading was futile, said the following: ‘You can never be a deep preacher without it, any more than a thorough Christian. O begin! Fix some part of every day for private exercises. You may acquire that taste which you have not. What is tedious at first, will afterwards be pleasant. Whether you like it or not, read and pray daily. It is for your life; there is no other way’.”
To add a little balance, or another perspective, my morning devotion was talking about prayer. I understand and believe that what is true in the natural is true in the spiritual…and a scientist by the name of Herbert Spencer said: “Whatever amount of power an organism expends in any state is correlative or equivalent o the power taken into it from without.” Therefore says the devotion writer, if it is true in the natural realm, it is true in the spiritual realm and expressed this way: The power of our spiritual lives is determined by the power we take in through prayer…Prayer is life’s deepest education. It is, for in prayer you are educated at the place that counts – the centre of your life. You are being educated in being. The Japanese Christian leader, Kagawa, used to pray: “O God, may we wake up to Jesus!”
So take some time today – to pray, so that you may receive power and to read.
Blessings on you!