Most of us eat every day, some of us too much, because yesterday's
food is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do
some of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change
all of that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need
to live healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker, Elle David Harris. Good morning, good morning, good
morning. It is Thursday, October nineteen, twenty twenty three. Hello,
my name is El David Harris. I am your host, and this is
your Daily Portion where we give you God's Word every single day, and today
is no exception. We are continuing in our Lesson study series. God's mission,
my mission, and our caption for today is starting from where you are,
Starting from where you are. We'll get into that in just a moment,
but first I'd like to say welcome, welcome, Welcome to you,
Welcome one, welcome all, and a great big shout out to those who
are coming in for the very first time. Please go over to your Daily
Portion dot com. Join our online community. Pick up the Your Daily Portion
book and also fill out the form that says where are you in the world.
I love to keep track of that because we know then that the Gospel
is being spread throughout the world, and we can know from what vantage point
If you will just simply fill out that little form. Thank you. Let's
go ahead and pray, and then we will get to underway. Father and
Heaven. Thank you for giving us this new day and getting us closer to
the time of Sabbath, the time of rest. I pray God now though,
that you will give us wisdom about how to start where we are and
whatever station of our lives. Starting right where we are, simply and with
you in Jesus name, I pray, Amen and Amen again. Do you
remember a song Brighten the Corner, Brighten the corner where you are? It's
by Ella Fitzgerald. I didn't even know that. That's something I learned this
morning, and it reads I'll give you some of the lyrics. When we
were young. This is something they gave us. Don't wait until some deed
of greatness you may do. Don't wait to shed your light afar to the
many duties ever near you. Now be true Brighten the corner where you are,
bright in the corner where you are, Brighton the corner where you are.
Someone far from harbor, you may guide across the bar bright in the
corner where you are. Do you remember that song just above the clouded skies
that you may help to clear? Let not narrow self your way the bar,
though into one heart alone may fall your song of cheer. Brighten the
corner where you are here. For all your talent, you may surely find
a need here reflect the bright the en shining star, even from your humble
hand. The bread of life may feed. Brighten the corner where you are,
right in the corner where you are, Say brighten the corner somewhere else,
didn't say, unless God leads you to somewhere else. But then you'd
be there again. Like so it'd be like where you are now. Yeah,
bright in the corner. But so we have to start from where we
are and not be looking for something else to do. Focus, be present
in the moment. I think they say in pop culture. Now yeah,
and so our Step number one comes from the Book of or Action. Step
number one comes from the Book of Acts, chapter one and verse eight,
and the Bible reads but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has
come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto Me, both in Jerusalem
right where you are, and then in all Judea you can go farther,
and in Samaria even farther and unto the uttermost part of the earth. So
what God is saying to us in this moment is to be a witness in
our immediate environment. I'm talking about share the Gospel and my immediate surroundings like
home first, like my son Josiah, my wife Simone, are supposed to
hear and experience the power of God unto salvation from me in this household.
Why, because that's the corner I'm in. I'm literally in the corner of
a house right now like this. My studio is in a corner. It's
a nine foot by five foot box. It is my vantage point is it
is the place from which this word comes. But by the way, it
can't start here and go to the othermost parts of the world if I don't
actually start here, I have a family start there, and then comes the
workplace. Well, I don't have a workplace. I'm an entrepreneur, but
I do have people that I experience every day, sixty people, real life
people every day except for Sabbath, that we pour into every single day.
In a community. So for me, that would be my workplace. And
then local community where are we living? Right? Where am I living?
My local community? And remember, like for me, my local community is
also the gym that I exercise in. It's in the same city. Yeah,
I'm gonna drop my son off to school, Simona and I do,
and then we go to a gym that's right there. It's only ten fifteen
minutes from home, and it is our community. So we have to remember
that Jesus has empowered us to be his witnesses where you are. That was
an incredible song. The second step, the second action step, comes from
the Book of Revelation, chapter fourteen and verse six, and the Bible reads
and saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel
to preach unto them that dwell upon the earth, and to every nation and
kindred and tongue and people. So we need to embrace this challenge. It
is a challenge of crossing cultural and social boundaries to share the gospel of Jesus
Christ. There are people who reach out to me from all over the world.
I remember a woman named Sachiko Nakamura. Sachiko is from what part of
Japan a Hakkaido. She was from Hakaido, and I remember when I first
started broadcasting, I had a one hour talk program where I interviewed people.
We would discuss the word. We would discuss how great things God was doing
in their lives in terms of testimony, incredible, it was wonderful words of
life. Years ago. I'm talking about years there was no such thing as
social media right at the time. And well, somehow Sachiko heard my program
way over there in Japan, and she told me her experience, and she
said, you're my new pastor. You're my new pastor. Because of the
experience she was having. I tried to get her plugged into the church over
there. I did my best, it just didn't work out. And so
yeah, it started where I was and I think I was in Maryland at
the time, broadcasting from Maryland, and there was no, like I said,
social media, So it wasn't even video, was all audio, and
it went through the whole Salem network Salem Communications Network at the time. And
God said, well, from your vantage point in Ann Arundel County, Maryland.
You are going to share the word of God, and by the way,
in a culture that you don't understand, in a people you don't really
understand, person whose second language is English, first language is Japanese. You
are going to brighten your corner, brighten from your corner, and then move
out into the world. And so God wants us to be comfortable with moving
out and then overcoming that that familiarity problem. What would I say to Sachiko?
What would I say to the people who reach out to me from multiple
countries on the continent of Africa and multiple places in cities in India, Like,
those are not places I've ever lived. There are places I've never been.
But the word of God cuts through all of that, and God says,
familiarity has nothing to do with this mission that I have given you reach
out to diverse groups of people. Our action step number three is from again
the Great Commission, this time Matthew eight twenty eight, verse nineteen. Go
ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Yes, identify the unreached,
or what people call undeserving people, groups or communities right in your area.
Boy, I could speak long on that and make efforts to reach out to
them with the message of Christ's love and salvation. Yeah. Lord has blessed
me to have influence over all kinds of quote bad people. I'm talking about
people who do certain kinds of crimes like it's crazy, But he gives me
influence and authority to share His word with them real life people. God is
good. Start from where you are. Have a wonderful day. Peace.
Thanks for joining us listening to friends. Always remember we cannot live by bread
alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This
has been your daily portion with El David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,