Monday
9-5-2016 Home in Modesto
Scripture
Reading: Eze 25 – 28 Rev 10
S=Scripture
O=Observation A=Application P=Prayer SOAP for the
soul.
S.
Rev
10:10-11 “Then I took the little book out of
the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when
I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. And he said to me, "You must
prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings." NKJV
O.
What might this mean? Before John can prophesy to many peoples, nations,
tongues and kings, he, himself must taste the book, digest the book. He
cannot share its sweetness and its bitterness until he has its message deep
inside himself. Then, and only then, can he speak as a prophet of God for
he has experienced it himself.
A.
This morning the book, the Word, is in my mouth. It is sweet to my taste. But I
must not be satisfied with a little taste. I must dig deep into its nourishing
pages. I must swallow the bitter with the sweet. Only after I have received the
word from God and have digested the message, deep inside my soul, am I ready to
share it with my hearers.
I
was greeting the people as they left the church. A little lady shook my hand
and said, “I liked your speech this morning.” And immediately I knew that I had
failed. If it was a “speech” and not a “message from the Lord” I had missed it.
If it made both sinners and saints feel good, I had missed the mark. The
“Gospel’s Good News” is loaded with the sugar of God’s love, but our hearers
cannot be converted until they have suffered the bitterness of conviction of
sins.
P.
Lord Jesus, You have given me a platform. You have provided me with many
“hearers”. I have a responsibility to eat the book, digest Your Word, let
it sink into my very being until I become part of Your message. It must cover
me. It must consume me. So even if I shut my mouth, it will seep out of my
pours. Your message, when tasted by the hearers, must be bitter-sweet. Your
love, mercy and grace are so sweet! But deep in Your message is Your challenge
that may seem bitter… calling me to surrender, pushing me to search my soul and
repent of my shallowness. Your message may bring tears, but You are changing
me, shaping me into a useful vessel in Your hand. Amen. So be it!
Ralph
PS. Many of you have been asking me to inform
you as soon as my book, “Argentina, a Love Story” hits the market. You
may order it today for $14.95 plus shipping and handling on Amazon.com.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to eat it. You may go to Amazon.com and do a search for the title or just click this link.
I guarantee you will love it. You will
laugh and you will cry. When you finish the last page… drop me a
line. I would love to hear from you.
No comments:
Post a Comment