Deaf Devotion 8/29/2009

Acts 9:17 – “So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

God had a plan for a man named Ananias. Ananias was a Christian who lived in the city of Damascus. One day the Lord told him to walk down to Straight Street and visit the house of a man named Judas where a man named Saul of Tarsus was staying. Ananias doubted. "Lord," he said, "I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints."

It isn't easy to walk knowingly into the presence of a hostile person. Saul’s goal was to destroy Christians, and Ananias was fully aware that he was going into danger and perhaps even death. But the Lord said to him, "Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” God already had a plan for Saul. Now God would use Ananias to put his plan into action.

Sometimes it is hard to be outspoken for Jesus. We live in a hostile world that holds Christians up to mockery and rejection. But whenever the Lord prompts us to speak up for Him, we should always walk right over to Straight Street, knock on the door, and share Jesus just like Ananias did with Saul.

You might just be the person God uses to turn a Saul into a Paul. The wise soul-winner will always pray and look for a chance to witness for Jesus.

While we are never sure of what effect our obedience to the Lord will have on someone, we need to keep Ananias’ and Saul’s encouragement in front of us. Paul says in Philippians 1:21, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is to gain.”

Live for Jesus, tell someone about the Savior.
Live for Jesus, be obedient to Him.
Live for the Word of God, and walk in the newness of life.
Live in the Holy Spirit, and be led by His presence.

Deaf Devotion 8/22/2009

The devil would love to get us distracted and get us off the course on which God has placed us. God has something He wants you and me to do. Our goal is not to only do our jobs well, but to honor God with our best. Every day we need to find out what God wants us to do, do it the best possible way, and refuse to be distracted by the devil. We need to say as the apostle Paul said, “This one thing I do!” Know that God’s goals are our goals and He wants us to follow Him and do it with all our strength for His glory!

Just as each one of us wakes up each morning with a new day ahead of us, the new season of Deaf Café lies ahead. It is full of new opportunities, full of promise, and full of the excitement of joining God where He is working. The goal for Deaf Café and for our personal lives remains the same: to glorify God and to reach people for Jesus Christ. There will be challenges, struggles, and things we need to improve. But we depend on God to show us and to lead us to doing our best for His glory.

There are four commitments we can make to in our lives and with Deaf Café as we enter the dawn of a new day and a new season:

1. Commit ourselves to not focus on the failures of the past – Philippians 3:14 – “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” We cannot change the past. We learn from our mistakes. As Paul said to early believers, we “press on.” That means we continue through our struggles and our successes to reach our goal. We give 100% to glorifying God. God was in the past when we had failures and struggles and he is in the present and is in the future so we do not need to live life imprisoned by the past.

2. Commit ourselves to give up our bitterness toward others – Paul says in Colossians 3:13 “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.” Remember, the Lord forgave us, so we must forgive others. That is a direct challenge to each one of us. Bitterness toward others destroys. It destroys fellowship. It destroys friendships. It destroys families. It destroys marriages. It destroys ministries. God is not asking us to ignore whatever anyone has done to us and He is not asking us to pretend something did not happen. If Christ can forgive our sins even though for him it meant enduring the pain of the cross then surely we can give up our bitterness toward others no matter what it might cost us personally. The question is are we willing to do it?

3. Commit ourselves to restoring relationships – Romans 12:18 – “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” It is up to us. God uses this verse to personally challenge each one of us to do all we can to restore our relationships. God wants us to do whatever we can to restore any relationships that have gone wrong. Some relationships might have gone wrong because of what other people have done said and God knows the situation better than we do. That is why he starts by saying “Do all that you can.” On the other hand, we need to ask ourselves, individually, if I am the only person who finds it hardest to say “I am sorry” to the people I am closest too? Pray about it.

4. Commit ourselves to turn our back on our past disobedience to God’s will – Romans 6:12-14 – “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.” The New Testament says that is exactly how many Christians choose to live. Christ died to set them free, the Holy Spirit has given them the power to be free, but just like some former slaves they still choose to obey their old master, sin. God here in his word challenges us to turn our back on that temptation and sin whatever it is. He challenges us to stop letting it control the way we live. He challenges us to stop giving into the temptation to sin. God wants us to stop obeying the old master. Let’s be clear about this: Jesus’ death broke once and for all the power of sin. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to resist sin. We do not need to go forward still being defeated by past disobedience to God. We have the victory in Jesus Christ. God says we are no longer a slave to sin so don’t live like one or act like one. Our salvation is secure. Jesus already died for our sin. God will forgive our everyday mistakes and his power is sufficient to resist that sin. The result will be that Deaf Café is not just a new season but each member and guest will experience a renewed spiritual life. Don’t miss this opportunity.

I know this is long, but it is important for us to understand. We have a new day dawning in our lives and in Deaf Café. Will this Just be the same Deaf Café all over again? Or are we willing to rise to these challenges from God’s word and make these commitments and so make it a life changing event for ourselves and our guests? It is up to us.

Deaf Devotion 8/15/2009

James 2:26 NLT – “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.”

Our faith and salvation does not depend on what we do. What we do depends on our faith and salvation.

When we ask God for something, do we just sit back, do nothing and say, “Well, I’m going to show my faith by doing nothing? I know God will take care of it.” No! God is in control, but we are the ones he is controlling. Actually one’s faith is shown by doing something. For faith without works is what? Dead! “How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?”(James 2:20 NLT) Does somebody want a house? Pray for it. Then say, “Amen,” with a hammer and saw. Does a man want a wife? Pray for one. Then go shave, put on some cologne, learn some manners, and learn how to be thoughtful and loving.

Does Deaf Café desire to reach Deaf people for Jesus? We constantly pray for that. God brought this team together. We all participate in specific ways which God has chosen. But we should move toward a deeper commitment of being involved and active. It is not for the glory of the team or Deaf Café itself. All we do is for God’s glory.

Do we want to see Deaf Café glorify God? Pray for it. Then say, “Amen” with our participation in the planning, serving, set up, tear down, dramas, music, child care, registration, lights, and in our witnessing for Jesus Christ. This is where God puts us and it is in the exact place that He wants us involved. Do not sit around and do nothing and depend on God or others to do something. The response to God’s glorious eternal grace is that we get up and do anything and everything to glorify God.

Have we been praying earnestly about the people God wants to reach with Deaf Café this week? This season? Is our heart’s desire to see people saved? Ask the Holy Spirit to show us how we can put feet to that prayer. Then, walk the talk!

When Moses saw the burning bush in the desert he stood amazed. God could have chosen any bush, any place, any time. It was not the bush that was so important. But that God was in the bush. It’s not about Deaf Café. It’s not about you or me. We are only the vessels of God’s anointing. The new Season of Deaf Café will be here before we know it. When we pray today, pray to surrender ourselves and Deaf Cafe to God right now. He is faithful to fill us and use us in wonderful and miraculous ways for His glory.

Deaf Devotion 8/8/2009

“And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered – to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”
Revelation 5:12 NLT

There is a story about a man named Fritz Kreisler. He played the violin. He practiced and practiced until he became one of the best violin players in the world. He wanted to buy a Stradivarius violin. This is one of the oldest, most treasured, and expensive violins ever produced in history.

Mr. Kreisler heard about a Stradivarius owned by a friend and he asked the friend if he could buy it. Kreisler was told the violin is not for sale. “If I cannot buy the violin, may I play it?” asked Kreisler. The friend agreed and Kreisler took the violin and played it. The music was not like anything the man had heard before.

Great tears welled up in the friend’s eyes and he said, “The violin is not for sale, but it is yours. The way you play that instrument shows me you are the master and you alone are worthy to play that violin.”

God sent HIS only Son for one reason: to redeem, to reconcile, and to change the world. We are all instruments of God. But the glory is not ours. The glory is God’s and God’s alone. God is the Master and He alone is worthy.

There is a song that goes:

“Jesus! What a Friend of sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me,
Foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Hallelujah! What a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

So, how is His worth shown in our life?
What do we do or say that demonstrates the worthiness of Jesus?
The songwriter considered the worthiness of Jesus and here is what was written…

Jesus paid it all
All to him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow.

Deaf Devotion 8/1/2009

“Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.” 1 John 3:2 NLT

If Jesus is our personal Savior and the Lord of our life, then not only is our entire life in order, but so is every single step within our life.

God has a plan for the plumber as well as the preacher, for the mechanic as well as the missionary. And if, for instance, God calls us to be a mechanic and we become a missionary, Hallelujah!!! If we are a missionary who happens to be a mechanic, AMEN!!

To find God's will is the highest success in our life. Success is not spelled M-O-N-E-Y. Nor is it spelled F-A-M-E. Success is the continuous realization of the will of God - what God desires for our life. God does not make clones; God makes children! There is an ultimate purpose for our life as God’s child. That is to have faith in His Son and to be like Jesus. It is also to let ALL we do glorify and magnify the name of Jesus, because God is glorified in His Son.

God works His grace in our life because it is important to Him to do so. It is important TO God to give us His grace.

God wants us to learn to draw strength from the possibilities that He sets before us.

Don’t ask how much something pays (What’s in it for me?) or how much it costs (What’s it going to cost me?) Ask if it is God’s will. Ask and God will lead us along His plan.

We may not understand what God is doing in our life. But if God has told us to do something He has His reasons. And one day, we may be pleasantly surprised to discover that God has done abundantly more than we ever imagined.