God's Great Commission # 1

God’s Great Commission # 1 “Then the master told his servant, Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. Luke 14:23 As I have been growing in my walk with God I have discovered that in so many of our churches today, everyone gets so focused on the church community within the church, that we forget the community outside the walls of the church building we attend. Jesus gave us the Great Commission to all churches to go out into the land and make disciples of all mankind. As Christians we are to reach out and be ambassadors for Him, in our communities and throughout the world. I am witnessing so many of our churches who have wonderful programs set up, such as small groups, where the purpose is to train members of their congregations to go out into the community and reach the people. However, they are failing so badly in that they are forever “training” but never “doing”. They constantly minister to each other in these small groups, supposedly getting each other prepared. This small group then trains others, with the bottom line being that all the time is spent training to go out but no one ever goes out to become actual workers for God. This reminds me so much of a recent commercial, where as a man sits at a table choking to death on a piece of food which is stuck in his throat, while others are calmly sitting and talking about how to administer the Heimlich maneuver. No one does anything to help the man, but continue to talk about the procedure. It is time that our churches begin “acting” instead of “talking” about planning and training. There are souls that are being lost in the meantime, due to this irresponsible behavior. It is time to become a doer instead of a talker and actually reach out. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 7 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Our First Times

Our First Times “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.” Revelation: 1:17 Have you ever thought how we remember our favorite “firsts”, and how these are many times the most memorable moments of our lives. For example, the first time I saw my children after they were born, or saw my wife for the first time, or the first time I caught my first fish, were moments that will always be etched in our memories, and will last our lifetimes. Have you ever thought about the very first day, and what a wonder this must have been as God surveyed what he had created. Or the first man, when God saw Adam walking around in the Garden of Eden. Take a moment and think about all that you value in your life, and pretend for a moment that you could awaken tomorrow and experience them once more—for the first time. I am confident that each of us can think of many things that we value more than anything in our lives, and would love to relive these “first times” again. There are also times in our past that I would refer to as our “dark times”. Each of us has our own “dark times”, but instead of wanting to relive these moments, these are the times we would like to forget and never be reminded of again. These are the times we were hurt, disappointed, suffered failure, and are times we want to forget. The truth is that we will never be able to bring back either of these times, even if we wanted to. They are gone forever, and we either have a good or bad memory of them. The thing we must concentrate on now is our future. We need to get excited about our tomorrow, and make all our new “first times” ones that will become our favorites, and ones that we will value. Jesus is the answer to make our future the brightest yet, as he can remove all the “dark times” from our past, and make all our new “first times” the best ones possible as they will last for all eternity. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 6 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Let God Lead The Way

Let God Lead The Way “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.” Isaiah 42:16 It is good to have dreams and plans for the future, as this is what keeps us motivated and many times moving ahead. Many of us have gotten to the place we are today because of the dreams and plans we made years ago. However many people have gotten where they are by circumstances that they have not planned for, and are living day to day dealing with things as they come, with still no plan for the future. I believe most Christians would prefer to follow God’s lead and stay on course, rather than go their own way and stumble along. I know that when I am uncertain about the correct decision or path to take, I can find direction and peace in my decisions by asking God for help. When we follow God and His plan for us, we do not have to worry about where we are going, as we always know that He is going to lead us to the right destination. One of the keys to unlocking the doors to our future is prayer. Prayer can bring us peace of mind when it comes to making decisions or deciding which road to travel about our future. Just a quiet time with God can give us a direction, and provide us with the wisdom needed to make the right decision, about what to do. If you don't know where the Lord is leading you, or are uncertain about the path to follow, or the decisions you need to make, don’t worry because you have the Word of God, and the Scriptures from God’s Holy Bible to give you wisdom and understanding to set you on your journey. God gives you His road map to let you get to your proper destination. If you follow the wisdom and advice found in the pages of His Holy Word, you will find success in whatever you do and wherever you go. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 5 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Become A New Christian

Become A New Christian “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:10-12 The previous devotional talked about becoming transformed and truly accepting Jesus into our hearts. The apostle Paul reminded the Christians in the wicked city of Corinth that they had been horrible sinners. He gives them a long laundry list of sins that they described in their lives. Then he says: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” He is telling them that God has cleansed them inside and out. In a later letter to the same church, Paul reminds them that the Holy Spirit gives them freedom to become what they couldn’t become without Him; God’s children with power like Christ. The presence of the Holy Spirit is the defining mark of who is a Christian and who isn’t. One of the great gifts of salvation is the gift of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. One of the great blessings of being a Christian is that we can ask God to empower us and strengthen us through His Spirit. While the spirit is always present in us, He gives us special power to meet our obstacles and also fulfill our opportunities. Giving thanks to God and obeying His commands and doing His will for our lives are things that each of us can do to begin this transformation. We need to also seek God’s will by studying his Word. The Scriptures are Spirit-inspired, and when we read, study and meditate on God’s will in Scripture, the Spirit helps us understand what is said, and convicts us of what is wrong in our life. It also empowers us to live out what God has called us to do, and fulfill his plan for us. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 4 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Let God Transform You

Let God Transform You “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1st Corinthians 6:11 Over the years I have observed many, who are good and decent folks, who go to church on Sunday only to keep up the appearance that they are good Christian people. Their outward appearance is what matters to them, as their thoughts are only how they appear to others. Their involvement and thoughts about God rarely extend beyond the Sunday morning sermon. Their actions and activities are usually non existent when it comes to meeting the needs of the less fortunate in their community. If you see yourself as this kind of Sunday morning person, you need to think about transforming yourself into a more dynamic individual who is depicting God in your daily life, and not be concerned about your outward appearance. The thing that matters most to God is not your outward appearance, but your inner being, your spirit, your mind, your thoughts, but most of all your soul. What you need to seek is an internal as well as an external transformation. Some of us hope getting the outside clean and keeping appearances up to date will suffice. Deep down, however, we fear that if we let God in too close, if we open up our hearts and truly let Him look inside us, then we will have to change significantly. Our hidden sins, our pettiness, our grip on pride, our self centered attitudes are suddenly threatened if we let God really come into our lives. God can transform us if we open ourselves up to Him, and let Him come into our hearts. Becoming a real Christian is critical in this transformation, as God will empower us and strengthen us through His Spirit. When we come to Christ for salvation, the Holy Spirit cleanses us and makes us holy. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 3 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Resisting Sin

Resisting Sin “Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.” Proverbs 13:6 We are all born into this sinful world, and have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, but this does not have to continually be the pattern of our lives. Many times when we sin we tend to cast the blame on others, as was the case with the first sin when Adam and Eve blamed each other for their transgression. Many times there are reasons why we sin, as we use envy, strife, unforgiveness, revenge and jealousy to try to justify it, but it is no use as we are still the only ones to blame when we commit a sin. Satan is always on the prowl to tempt and entice us to do wrong, and will affect our thoughts, create doubt and any other logic that will cause confusion and disorder in our lives. We must always stay focused, and remember that it is Satan that is originating the assault against us, and not blame others that may be used as pawns to carry out his plans. The Bible tells us that we must discern for ourselves what is right and wrong, and that if we seek wisdom from God it will be given to us. Proverbs 2:6 “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” The best defense against Satan’s attack is to put on the full armor of God, which includes knowing the truth which is given throughout the Bible, and knowing what God’s commands are. This truth will help us make the proper decisions, and give us wisdom and understanding, to find the proper path to travel throughout our lives. A righteous man will be a man of integrity, who is following the will of God and obeying His commands, and will be one that will shun evil and wickedness. Please remember that only you are responsible for your sins, but when you are faced by Satan’s attack God is there to defend you. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 2 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Set Your Goals

Set Your Goals “May he give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” Psalm 20:4 I believe that one of the major causes of failure in the lives of people is their unwillingness to take the time to set their goals. If you do not know where you want to go in life, chances are you are not going to get there. You will be lost and continually spend your life from day to day trying to get by and not knowing where you are going. There are several reasons why people don’t set any goals for themselves, such as they do not know how to go about it, or they are afraid of possible failure, but the greatest is that they have not been taught the power and joy of such an action. Planning and goal setting takes the disorder out of life, as you know where you want to go and the steps needed to get you there. Proverbs 14:8 “The wise man looks ahead.” (TLB) The setting of specific goals is one good way of fulfilling the purpose God has for your life. For instance, you might have as a goal to be a better Christian this year. To fulfill that goal, one of your daily goals could be to read a specific amount of chapters in the Bible each day, or set up a morning prayer time. Goal setting may take some time, discipline, courage and patience but the rewards are very well worth the effort. You must decide for yourself what you really want out of life, as nobody else can decide for you. If you don’t care what happens to your life, no one else will. You need to ask God and seek his wisdom to make sure your goals and plans are ones he desires for you as well. Some people get comfortable in a particular job and stay with it for 20 years even though they may be missing a divine position God is wanting for them. Financial security to them is their job, not their Heavenly Father. It is important to know God’s goals and plans for your life. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 1 Robert William Brock, Jr.