Nothing But Christ

Every morning we, the chaplains, take the opportunity to start our morning with a devotional and prayer.  Our devotional today seemed so appropriate, especially in the midst of the turmoil and chaos of the current times, that we felt we needed to share it in its entirety for this Chaplains’ Chat:

What is it that our Lord wants most from those who claim to be devoted to Him?  Shall we build Him more churches?  More Bible schools?  More homes and institutions for hurting people?

These are all worthwhile and needed, but He who dwells not in buildings made by hands wants much more than this.  Solomon thought he had built an everlasting temple for God, but within years it was in decay.  In less than four hundred years, it was completely destroyed.

The one thing our Lord seeks above all else from His people, ministers, and shepherds is communion at His table.  He seeks oneness around His heavenly table, a place and time of intimacy, a continual coming to Him for food, strength, wisdom and fellowship.

This present generation has a limited revelation of the Lord Jesus because so many are missing from the feast.  Few know the grandeur and majesty of the high calling in Christ Jesus to have communion alone with the Lord.

We mistakenly get our spiritual joy out of service rather than communion.  We are doing more and more for a Lord we know less and less!  We run ourselves ragged, burn out, go anywhere on this earth and give our bodies to His work – but we seldom keep the feast of communing with Him.  We are too casual about the Lord’s table, not serious enough about taking our place to learn of Him.

Paul speaks of three separate years in the desert of Arabia.  They were three glorious years, sitting in the heavenlies at the table of the Lord.  It was there that Christ taught Paul all he knew – and the wisdom of God was made manifest in him.

Something in Paul’s soul cried out, “Oh, that I might know Him!”  Conversion was not enough for Paul.  A one-time miraculous hearing of His voice from heaven was not sufficient.  He had caught a fleeting vision of the Lord – and he wanted more!  May the same be said of us.

~God is Faithful by David Wilkerson

Indeed, may the same be said of us!

Staying true to His call,
Chaplains Steve and Robin Malek

When We Serve Him, We Serve Ourselves

One of the hardest aspects of the Christian life is to learn to submit to God in all things.  His yoke is easy and His burden is light, yes, but remembering to actually take His yoke upon us is difficult.  We worship Him, we thank Him for His love and goodness, we ask for wisdom and direction, but all the while we stumble profusely at following and listening to that small, still voice.  When it comes to making decisions, we still like our independence.
 
What is it about our independence that so intrigues us?  Why are we so obsessed with making our own decisions?  It’s exactly what Satan wants us to do.  It’s the very root cause of our sin.
 
That’s what the fall of man was all about, mistrusting God and seeking our own interests and that is still what sin is all about.  When we choose our own will over God’s, we’re not trusting Him, but trusting ourselves.  When you think about it, it is just absurd!  It’s the basics behind all Biblical teaching.  God’s will!  God’s will be done – we pray it all the time.
 
Are you and I totally convinced that “…thy will be done…”?  We have to know deep down in our hearts that His will and commands are for our best interests.  Instead of seeking our own self-centered interests, we need to be totally God-centered, or as Jesus said in Luke 17:33, “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it.”  When we forsake our own wills and submit to His, that’s when fulfillment comes.  When we serve Him, we serve ourselves.
 
Believe it and apply it and see what happens.  His word is true and we can trust it when it says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.”
 
In His Service,
Chaplain Steve Malek