Today's Devotional from Pastor Clay: A Single Light - Philippians 2:14-15

September 30, 2014 View this email in your browser A Single Light - Philippians 2:14-15 Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world… Philippians 2:14-15 I joined the US Navy right out of high school, and after 2 years of training I was finally assigned to an air squadron aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation. While we were at sea, we would frequently run a "lights out" drill. This drill was the practice of running the ship at night with zero lighting on the deck, because at night the human eye can see a single match being lit thirty nautical miles away. A single sailor smoking a cigarette can give away the ships position to an enemy. In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul uses that same example in the opposite context: Instead of trying to hide our position in a dark world, Paul encourages us to live our lives in such a way that our life is beam of light shining out in a dark world. In the same way that the beam of a lighthouse guides a ship through the dark into safe harbor, our life should be a light that guides the searching, unsaved soul to Christ.  See, if we live like the world, there's no differentiating factor; We blend right in. It might feel more comfortable to blend in, but the consequence is that the lost person that is looking for hope will never see the path to salvation.  "Lord, help me to be blameless and harmless, reflecting the light of Christ to the dark world around me." Pastor Clay   Enjoy this devotional?  Share it with someone! Share Tweet Forward Connect Facebook Twitter Instagram Subscribe by email Copyright © 2014 Calvary Chapel of Wilmington, All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you subscribed through our website or my blog. You can click the "Manage Subscriptions" link to manage your email preferences.   Calvary Chapel of Wilmington 2831 Carolina Beach Rd Wilmington, NC 28412 Add us to your address book 910-791-1858 | www.calvaryofwilmington.org   unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

Today's Devotional from Pastor Clay: He will Finish it! - Philippians 1:6

September 29, 2014 View this email in your browser He will Finish! - Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 Have you ever become discouraged because you didn't yet "have it all together" spiritually? Perhaps you listened to a message, or attended a retreat, and afterwards you thought "OK, I've got this now, I'm going to be much more Christ-like now!" But by the time the week was halfway over, you felt like you'd blown it, again. Friends, I've learned that this Christian life isn't an event, it's a journey. Salvation is immediate, but sanctification, becoming like Christ, is a work that will continue for the rest of our lives. I've also learned that God uses all things that happen in my life, the good and the bad, to work together to accomplish His purpose in my life (Romans 8:28). Even when I blow it, if I'll bring it to Him, confess it, and seek His wisdom, God will use that situation to continue to mold me to be more like Christ. Frankly, I find it amazing how that works! But I suppose I should be amazed, after all, this is the God of the universe that I'm working with! So this week, whether you're on a mountaintop of spiritual growth, or coming out of a valley of failure, you can be confident that our God, who loves you, will His work in you until it is finished! "Lord, today I want to be open to you work in my life, using whatever means necessary, to be more Your Son Jesus Christ." Pastor Clay   Enjoy this devotional?  Share it with someone! Share Tweet Forward Connect Facebook Twitter Instagram Subscribe by email Copyright © 2014 Calvary Chapel of Wilmington, All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you subscribed through our website or my blog. You can click the "Manage Subscriptions" link to manage your email preferences.   Calvary Chapel of Wilmington 2831 Carolina Beach Rd Wilmington, NC 28412 Add us to your address book 910-791-1858 | www.calvaryofwilmington.org   unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

Redeeming the Time - Ephesians 5:16-17The New Man - Ephesians 4:20-24

September 27, 2014 View this email in your browser Redeeming the Time - Ephesians 5:16-17 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16 What is Paul talking about when he tells us to walk circumspectly? The Greek word is akribós, which means carefully, exactly, accurately. Imagine you're in the jungle of South America, and you come across a river that is filled with Piranha, and the only way to cross is over a tree that has fallen over the river. You're going to walk "circumspectly" over that tree, because to slip and fall means being stripped of your flesh by hungry Piranha! But the context Paul is using is not so much that we need to walk carefully to avoid being injured, but rather that we should walk carefully because this planet is on borrowed time. Our mission to proclaim Christ has a timeline.  See, it's easy to become distracted by the things of this world; work, life, hobbies, etc, and not be focused on our mission to reach the lost with the gospel message. But even worse is when the Christian becomes careless and starts indulging in the sinful practices of this world. That becomes more than a distraction, as it opens the door for the enemy of our soul and our own conscience, to condemn us, for the world to judge us, and as a result we feel unworthy to represent the Lord at all. Our ability to be a witness for Christ is handicapped. The tragedy of a backsliding Christian isn't so much the sin, which is forgiven by the blood of Christ; The tragedy is that our witness to the lost is impacted. The lost see us as no different from them. Friends, let's make the best use of our limited time on this earth, and not squander our time, or our witness. Walk carefully, intentionally, and purposefully, and let your life be a light that reflects Christ to all that are in your sphere. "Lord, help me to walk carefully today, and be an image-bearer of Your Son Jesus Christ." Pastor Clay * My Daily Devotional is based on the scripture reading from The One Year Bible each day. If you'd like to read along, check out the One Year Bible online:  oneyearbibleonline.com Enjoy this devotional?  Share it with someone! Share Tweet Forward Connect Facebook Twitter Instagram Subscribe by email Copyright © 2014 Calvary Chapel of Wilmington, All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you subscribed through our website or my blog. You can click the "Manage Subscriptions" link to manage your email preferences.   Calvary Chapel of Wilmington 2831 Carolina Beach Rd Wilmington, NC 28412 Add us to your address book 910-791-1858 | www.calvaryofwilmington.org   unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences