DAILY DEVOTION

          - Friday 28th November, 2003

                           WHO WILL WE TOUCH?                                      

Genesis 12:2-3 "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name

great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that 

curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

When we share our lives with others, even when we’re having troubles, something about the reality 

of our relationship with God shines through and draws others to the Lord.

In the above Verses we see that Abraham was promised great blessing by God. It was relationship that brought this great blessing. Through relationship with God we have abundant life. The blessing that God has promised to your family, have you seen them yet? Or are your family and loved ones still away from God?

Are you feeling like Sarah in Gen 18:10-12, and doubting Gods promise? Notice what God said to her in Gen 18:14 “So the Lord said to Sarah “Is anything too difficult for the Lord”. God’s promises are not activated by our obedience to Him. Our obedience is activated by the promises of God. Abraham had left UR of the Chaldeans because he believed God’s promises. Even though Abraham became afraid and made mistakes, God was still faithful to his commitment to Abraham. It was the promise and faith in the promise, that enabled Abraham to obey God. Because of Abraham's faith in God and His promises, through his life and his offspring he touched the nations of the world.

In Joshua 24:15 we read, "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; …..but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua made a statement of commitment to the Lord. He also provided an example, and throughout his life time the people of Israel served the Lord. Joshua touched Israel and influenced the men and women of his day.

D. L. Moody once said "A holy life will produce the deepest impressions". Just like lighthouses blow no horns and just shine, you and I don't necessarily need to say anything, but our lives must shine with the light of Christ.

What about the life of Naomi? In Ruth 1:16-17 we read "And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 17  Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me." Ruth ended up touching the greatest King in Israel. What made Ruth leave her family and every thing she knew to follow and make a life changing commitment to Naomi? Ruth was a Moabite woman who was dramatically changed by Naomi’s influence on her life. God chose her to be the Grandmother of Israel’s greatest king, and in the line of Jesus……. She was blessed to be a blessing.

Abraham’s promises are for us today. We have received those promise through salvation in Christ. From God’s promise to Abraham right through the bible, there is the call for all believers to bless others with what God has so freely blessed. This is seen in Christ's Commission to us in Matthew 28:19 "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations..." Touching just one life for God is the most significant thing any human being can achieve.

Challenge  

Rom 13:11 says " And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." Do you recognise that Christ is coming soon and we don't have a lot of time to influence and impact others for the Kingdom of God? Are you living to pass on the blessing you have received in Christ? Who will you touch? 

Prayer

Father, help me to touch other lives through the life of Christ in me. Help me to recognise that every day my life is on show to others, to influence them either for good or for bad. I want to be a faithful and worthy ambassador of Your Gospel.