Devotion #27

CENTRAL TRUTH: We experience joy as we use our time, talent and treasure to accomplish Christ’s will for New Covenant Bible Church.

BIBLE PASSAGE: Psalm 145:3-7

If we embrace faith simply for what we might get out of it, then we miss the point and the blessing. Embracing faith is not about what God can do for us; it is about what we can do to glorify God. The blessing is not about us; it is about us being a blessing to others.

God has given each of us a unique set of gifts, talents and abilities. Yet how do we use these? Often we spend our energy getting ahead in our job, buying a better house or car and taking a bigger vacation rather than seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). More times than not, we give God the leftovers of our time, talents and treasures.

The Psalmist writes, “God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness” (Psalm 145:3 The Message). As you meditate on today’s passage, take time to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Proclaim His greatness to others. Demonstrate His greatness by showing His kindness and justice to someone today. “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NET).

If you have not done so yet, please open your Journey Guide to the corresponding devotion in the Reading Journal section. Journal your thoughts in response to the questions found there, spend some time in prayer, and take a couple of minutes to review this week's Memory Verse.

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Today's Author

James Wartian

My name is James Wartian. I was introduced to my wife Melody by a mutual friend, who was also her pastor, and we have been married almost six years. Last April, we had our first child, Andrew, and he has been an absolute joy (even though we do not get much sleep).

I have been on staff at New Covenant as the Mature Adult/Missions Pastor for almost four years. You might be interested to know that the very first sermon I ever preached was at Camp Hiawatha when I was a senior in high school. It had to be no longer than 3.5 minutes, and I stayed under the time limit!

Comments

[Tye Male]

Great devo James! v5 really spoke to me this morning:

I will focus on your honor and majestic splendor,and your amazing deeds!

As I have processed this whole embracing faith idea I have been driven to the fact that I must focus on God and what he is able in and through my life.

The next verse that spoke to me was verse 3:

The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise! No one can fathom his greatness!

I can stop and recall all the things God has done in the past like parting the Red Sea, creating the universe, etc., and be reminded that God is trustworthy! Today I am trusting in a God who can "part the Red Sea" of whatever circumstances come our way.

[Lyndee Crow]

Sometimes I have wondered just what it is that I should meditate on. I meditate on the scriptures by reading them and focusing on the meanings of the words and their connotations and application to my life. Yet, what a wonderful idea, to actually meditate on the splendor and greatness of God. What a mind blowing experience. I think I would sit in shock meditating on such an amazing thought, it is too great for me to imagine. Yet, to try, is wonderful. Praise His wonderful Name.

[Diane Thompson]

This is the passage I read during the
church prayer time on March 2nd and it was
verse 4 that really excited me---"One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts."
Not only leading the way for the next generation but doing all we can to pass on what we have for the next generation. What all those before us did to make a way for us at NCBC and now what we can do for the next generation to praise and worship God.
That is exciting!
Diane Thompson

[Richard Kramer]

David said that “one generation will commend your works to another...” v4. Hundreds of generations later this is still true. We at New Covenant are part of one of those generations that David spoke about several thousand years ago. What do you feel at this very moment, thinking about this truth…?
I certainly feel privileged to be able to “praise”, “commend”, “tell”, “speak”, “meditate”, “proclaim”, “celebrate” and “joyfully sing”… as I find it in this passage.
While I do this in my worship to my God I am also aware that I do this in front of the next generation. By doing so this generation may also realizes that our God is a “great God”, who performs “mighty acts”, exists in a “glorious splendor of majesty”, does “wonderful works”, “awesome works”, “great deeds”, and possesses “abundant goodness and righteousness.”
What is the blessing for us in all of this? Joy, peace and hope, as we trust in Him.
My hope is that soon this telling forth will happen on an even larger scale as NCBC grows into a new and larger facility.
Our God is an awesome God; He reigns from heaven above…

[Ed Luebe]

We continually hear about the sacrifices, both corporately and individually that were made by the 21 charter members back in 1949 and the 450 members and attenders that made the move to our current location in 1982. As I read todays passage and it talked about how one generation will tell the next generation about the Lord's greatness and praise, it made me wonder what will be said of us 25 years from now. I would hope that the next generation would be encouraged and thankful for the great sacrifice and faith that was exercised so that thousands of people in Linn County would have the opportunity to respond to the life changing message of Jesus Christ.
To break it down to a more personal level, I wonder what will be said of me 25 years or more from now. I know that it's not about me, but will my children and grandchildren remember me as one that had a genuine desire to use my time, talent, and especially my treasure to influence people for Jesus Christ, or will I be remembered as one that left a great treasure, untapped, so that they could live the life they never thought they could.
I'm in the securities business and every year I see millions of dollars that are passed from one generation to the next, only in many cases to be spent on items that are temporal.
As I finish this 30 day journey, I am being challenged to be a kingdom builder, not a wealth builder.

[Kim Pagel]

When it's all said and done, the legacy that I leave consists of the stories that people will tell about me. That's pretty scary! What do I want people to remember about me? What stories do I want them to tell? The choices I make today and the kind of person I'm becoming will shape the kind of legacy I will leave. Just today I quoted Pastor Ray. I have so many memories and stories about him that continue to shape the kind of person I'm becoming. Pastor Ray left a living legacy.

I want to do the same. I want my life to be an inspiration to those who come behind me. I don't want my life to be a monument or memorial to the past, but fuel that encourages people to move into the future with faith and courage. I want to be faithful to pass the baton to the next generation.