October 28, 2015
You’ve likely heard of someone taking an idea or plan and “running with it.” That’s the idea behind a specific prayer request once set forth by the apostle Paul.“Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.” (2 Thessalonians 3.1-2)The thought behind “spread rapidly” is that of a messenger running swiftly with a message. But here the idea is of the message, not the messenger, doing the swift running. In essence, Paul asks for prayer for the swift spread of the gospel message, and receptivity to it by those who hear.This has been a personal prayer request of mine for some time now. At least once a week I’m lifting up this request that the Lord advance His message swiftly, and that it be honored and embraced by those who hear. What happens, in praying this, is that I am moved to have a greater burden in being involved with this all-important plan myself.What would happen if all of God’s people made this a regular, personal prayer request? If the gospel message of the things concerning the kingdom and the name of Jesus (Acts 8.12) “ran swiftly” throughout the world, and was honored and embraced, the Great Commission would be fulfilled in our generation. Not only that, we would play a part in the fulfillment of Jesus’ words that “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24.14) We might actually hasten the return of Christ through this prayer and our efforts!So, are you ready to help the gospel message “run”? Would you add this request to your prayer list? Would you join others in praying this important prayer? Perhaps you could reply to this message to indicate that you’re in. It would be exciting to share with others just how many of us are committed to the important prayer request and priority.Steve©Steve Taylor, 2015Be sure to also visit http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/ Amazon ebook & print devotional -http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GWpaperback print copy of book — https://www.createspace.com/4500045
October 27, 2015
Imagine someone on death row, about to be executed, offering comfort and encouragement to those around him. That’s essentially the backdrop for these words:"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16.33)Jesus, on the night He was arrested, leading up to His crucifixion, was focused on the well-being of His disciples. Deeply troubled concerning what He was to endure, He nevertheless was confident and optimistic because of the overwhelming victory His Father would bring in and through Him. As such, the apostle Paul could later write: “ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8.38, 39)So, the question begs to be asked: What’s troubling you today? Not to try and minimize or make light of our problems but, in light of the overwhelming victory promised to us, do we not have every reason for confidence and optimism? Indeed we do! Even He who faced death, the ultimate obstacle, could speak with confidence of the victory of resurrection. The challenges of the day and moment are indeed real, and can seem insurmountable, but the perspective of ultimate victory is basis for confidence and hope. May we meet the challenges of the day with faith, and exude optimism through hope.Steve©Steve Taylor, 2015Be sure to also visit http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/ Amazon ebook & print devotional -http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GWpaperback print copy of book — https://www.createspace.com/4500045
October 21, 2015
The danger of deception is ever present. A seemingly legitimate email, requesting personal information, turns out to be a clever and efficient means of stealing your identity, and emptying your bank accounts. You just can’t be too careful. Likewise, spiritual deception, appearing innocently real, can rob you of spiritual vitality. Wise discernment is ever needed.“Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.” (2 Thessalonians 2.1-2)No deception is more dangerous than to be persuaded that the hope of the ages has come and gone, and you’ve missed out on it completely. Faith, hope, and Christian lifestyle would be shattered. Such deception would truly be fatal. Dispelling this dangerous deception, the apostle Paul reminds us that two key things must precede that day, according to 2 Thessalonians 2.3-4: (1) a wholesale, deliberate falling away from and forsaking of truth, and; (2) the appearing of the deceiver and lawless one; the antichrist. His sober and urgent warning reminds us to be especially vigilant concerning the prospect of massive deceptive efforts as the time of the end approaches. He tells us, regarding the coming lawless one: “the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2.9-10) The only preventative measure that will be effective, in the face of extraordinary deceptive efforts, is passionate love for truth. Deception has always been, and always will be, a threat to believers. It is alarmingly effective against all but the most prepared. A particular practice or truth is exaggerated and distorted. A method usurps the message. A philosophy masquerades as truth. The seed of deception is planted in the mind, and those having only a vague familiarity with truth lack the warning alarm that would halt deception before it could progress into lifestyle. Like the slow growth of cancer cells, it eventually is fatally effective.The best way to avoid deception is to be as familiar with truth and the truth-giver as possible. Minimum standards are a recipe for disaster, but passion for the way, the truth, and the life are the best safeguards.May love for, and the life of truth, wash over and through you today, and always.Steve©Steve Taylor, 2015Be sure to also visit http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/ Amazon ebook & print devotional -http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GWpaperback print copy of book — https://www.createspace.com/4500045
October 20, 2015
You’ll never make it as a solo act. Musicians in famous music groups would have done well to heed this advice, because many decided they were better than their group, and went out on their own - only to fail miserably. The same goes for us: our best “performance” is with our group, and it utterly disastrous to choose to be a solo act."Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15.4-5)The group we belong to is Christ and His church, and our life literally depends on that connection. The primary connection must be Christ because, as He says, “apart from Me you can do nothing.” Nature teaches us this lesson, and especially this time of year. Trees shed themselves of leaves, and the leaves have no life in themselves as they fall to the ground. The moment the connection is broken, death and decay begin. And so with us: none of us have any spiritual reserve or vitality to sustain ourselves once connection is broken from the Vine. Additionally, we are collectively united to the church, the body of Christ. As a young, new believer, I saw the necessity of connection with Christ the Vine, but saw the body of Christ connection as optional. It’s taken me a long time to realize that, no matter how imperfect or flawed the church, there isn’t the slightest possibility of spiritual vitality without it. Perhaps that’s why I grieve when individuals chose to pursue their “solo act” aside of the body of Christ: I am absolutely certain they signed their own spiritual death warrant in doing so. None of us will make it as a solo act. Connection and communion with Christ on a daily basis is not a luxury; it is an absolute necessity. And, much of His life and vitality is infused in us through His body, the church. Both are crucial; no, essential, for spiritual life and vitality. The Vine beckons today. Tend to the life-giving connection; see to it that nourishment and life flow freely. Stay vitality connected to His body, the church. Not just on Sundays, but in day-to-day real connection through honest sharing, mutual prayer and support, and genuine compassion. His life is our life. May we experience it abundantly today.Steve©Steve Taylor, 2015Be sure to also visit http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/ Amazon ebook & print devotional -http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GWpaperback print copy of book — https://www.createspace.com/4500045
October 14, 2015
Do blood moons, ISIS, Russian air strikes in Syria, and Israeli/Palestinian violence portend something apocalyptic? There are plenty of voices raised these days that say they do. And yet, every generation has placed prophetic significance on contemporary events. Who is to say today’s events are any different?“About the times and the seasons: brothers, you do not need anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘Peace and security,' then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in the dark, so that this day would overtake you like a thief. For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We're not of the night or of darkness. So then, we must not sleep, like the rest, but we must stay awake and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5.1-6)Sometimes I lament the Thessalonian believer’s familiarity with the times and seasons, because Paul didn’t need to elaborate on a teaching I would have found personally beneficial. But, what he did state was that there would be utter abruptness to the breakthrough of the Day of the Lord, and those in the know ought to remain vigilant. A false sense of peace will lull many into lethal complacency, which the Day of the Lord will shatter.From my vantage point, the Day of the Lord is approximately twenty to thirty years away at most. That’s not a prophetic prediction, but merely an observation based on my own mortality. Regardless of the signs of the times, that’s my personal limit. And, that frames everything with a sense of urgency. The sands in the hourglass are sifting down much faster than I care to imagine.Whether today’s events are THE signs, or just general signposts, we can be certain that this age is headed toward a definite conclusion, even as our own lives are. We have the opportunity of this moment, and may only have this moment (I pray we each have much more). So, what’s important in light of mortality and the coming Day of the Lord? We each need abundant divine insight in order to best answer that question.May we live this day with the guiding knowledge of the uncertainty of life, and the absolute certainty of the coming breakthrough of the return of Christ and the kingdom of God. As such, may we find passion for the mission, and optimism for the age and life to come.Steve©Steve Taylor, 2015Be sure to also visit http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/ Amazon ebook & print devotional -http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GWpaperback print copy of book — https://www.createspace.com/4500045
October 13, 2015
There’s a place for you. It’s by invitation only, but you’ve got an invitation. “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14.1-3)God’s got a big house, with lots of rooms, and there is one for you. Since He left the earthly scene, Jesus has been busy preparing a place for those responsive to His call. This much is clear, but there is considerable confusion beyond this. It’s commonly considered that this house is high in heaven, and that’s where we’re headed one day. Old-time gospel music, with mention of flying away, and longing for my heavenly home, has long promoted this notion of living in a room in a mansion in heaven someday.A key clarifying statement by Jesus is, “I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” That’s my goal: to be where Jesus is. If He is going to be in heaven, then that’s where I want to be too. But, I don’t want to be there if He isn’t. And, there is strong biblical evidence indicating His ultimate destination is planet earth. He is coming back to earth (Acts 1.11), and not just to snatch up His church and whisk it away to heaven. He is planning on at least a one-thousand year stay (i.e., Revelation 20.6) to set a wrong world right. And He plans to use us, His church, to get the job done. He is preparing a place for us in His Father’s house. That house is the family of God, and it’s going to take up long-term residence on planet earth. It’s here partially through the church, and will be here fully in the kingdom of God; beginning the moment His feet touch the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14.4). So, let’s savor our place in His house, and hand out as many invitations as we can; while there is time. And, let’s get along with the rest of the family, because we’ve got a long future together. The testimonial of an old song is that, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God.” I certainly am, and I trust you are as well. The most loving thing we can do in response to this indescribable privilege is appeal to others to become a part of it as well. May many hear of the kingdom (Mark 1.14,15), and respond to the king and His kingdom message through conversion (Acts 8.12)Steve©Steve Taylor, 2015Be sure to also visit http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/ Amazon ebook & print devotional -http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GWpaperback print copy of book — https://www.createspace.com/4500045
