Romans 15:5-7
PHILLIPS
May the God who inspires men to endure, and gives them a Father’s care, give you a
mind united towards one another because of your common loyalty to Jesus Christ.
And then, as one man, you will sing from the heart the praises of God the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So open your hearts to one another as Christ
has opened his heart to you, and God will be glorified.
Inspiration comes from many
places, and some of those places may surprise us. Recently I was in a counseling sessions with
a young person from our community, and in that short time God spoke in a sweet
way. Another time recently I was walking
through a hallway of a local church and saw a friend that I haven’t seen in a
long time. The conversation inspired
me. One of my favorite places to be
inspired is sitting quietly in my office before anyone else comes in to church
and reading a book as God uses sentences and concepts to inspire my heart.
There are many places and
many people who inspire me, and what I must be careful of is to make sure that
inspiration leads me to the Father and no where else. One author that has inspired me through the
years is Phillip
Keller who has written many amazing books.
I’d like to use today’s devotion to share some of His inspiration with
you.
“Contentment should
be the hallmark of my life, as I put my affairs in the hands of God.” ― W. Phillip Keller
“We are identified
and known by the sort of fruit, the quantity of fruit, and the quality of fruit
borne out in our daily conversation, conduct, and character. There is no
greater criterion for Christians. It is the paramount gauge of God's people.” ― W. Phillip Keller
“It is there that I
will discover He only can really satisfy me. It is He who makes sense and
purpose and meaning come out of situations which otherwise could be but a
mockery to me. Suddenly life starts to have significance. I
discover I am the object of His special care and attention. Dignity and
direction come into the events of my life, and I see them sorting themselves
out into a definite pattern of usefulness. All of this is refreshing,
stimulating, invigorating. My thirst for reality in life is assuaged, and
I discover that I have found that satisfaction in my Master.” ― W. Phillip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at The 23rd Psalm
“It is actually He
(the shepherd) who makes it possible for them (the sheep) to lie down, to rest,
to relax, to be content and quiet and flourishing.” ― W. Phillip
Keller, A Shepherd Looks at The 23rd
Psalm
“The greatest
delusion any man or woman can ever come under is the idea that it is a
"drag" to do God's will. Just the opposite is true! Yet our old
natures, our strong, selfish, self-interests, our sensual society, our arch-foe
Satan - all endeavor to deceive us into believing that it is a bore and bondage
to serve the Master, to carry out His commands in glad-hearted cooperation.” ― W. Phillip Keller, Lessons from a Sheepdog
“We then move on to
the position where we sense and detect His will being expressed to us by the
providential handling of our lives. We actually begin "to look for God's
hand" in all the details and events of our days. We become acutely
sensitive to His presence. We find our minds, spirits and emotions concentrated
on Christ, eager to do His bidding.” ― W. Phillip Keller, Lessons from a Sheepdog
“Love in a
Scriptural sense is not a soft, sentimental emotion. It is a deliberate act of
my will. It means that I am willing to lay down my life, lay myself out, put
myself out on behalf of another.” ― W. Phillip Keller
I pray that God will inspire us in whatever way He must that gets our
attention and gets us looking toward and longing for His way. And may our lives be set in a direction of
obedience and excitement for the will of God above everything and anything we can
do a part from Him.
Go forth. Be inspired. Inspire others. God is in the business of inspiring people to
pursue Him and to change the world!
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