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 Friday, November eleven. No, it isn't ten, 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 through God's mission. My mission, and our caption for today is
Christ centered living. Christ centered living. We'll get into that in just a
moment, but first I'd like to say welcome, Welcome, Welcome to all
everyone joining us, especially those joining us for the very first time. I'm
asking you to go over to your Daily Portion dot com join our online community.
Also pick up the Your Daily Portion book and let us know where you
are in the world at your Daily Portion dot com. This is where we
build faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead and pray and then we will get
underway. Father and Heaven, Thank you for this day. Please teach us
to live like Jesus lived. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen and
Amen again. All right, So we're talking about Christ centered living, and
I want to begin from the book Christ's object Lessons, page one hundred and
twenty nine, and it reads, our life is to be bound up with
the life of Christ. We are to draw constantly from him. We are
to draw constantly from Him, partaking of him the living bread that came down
from Heaven, drawing from a fresh fountain, ever fresh, ever giving forth
its abundant treasure. So our expectation is that God will continue to bring showers
of blessing right the everlasting fountain, which is Jesus Christ. We will receive
if our lives, in our own minds are bound up in Christ. Yes,
he is our life, but some of us don't necessarily accept him in
that way. But let me keep going. If we keep the Lord ever
before us, allowing our hearts to go out in thanksgiving and praise to him,
we shall have a continual freshness in our religious life. Is your life
stale, brothers and sisters, Is your experience in the faith stale? Just
be honest. I'm not asking you to type it in the chatter or anything.
Don't confess it necessarily. But if it is, if it is,
is stale. What we are saying today is that if we continue to drink
from God, if we're if we're continually in his presence, if we are
continually seeking a way to live according to His principles and share with others,
it will be fresh. It says, there will be a freshness in our
religious lives. Let me keep going. Our prayers will take the form of
a conversation, okay, Our prayers will take the form of a conversation with
God as we would talk to a friend. He will speak his mysteries to
us personally. Ooh, and you want to know, but but but Dave,
Like, how do I know it's God when we hear the voice?
Well, it has to measure up to the word of God at all times.
But the but but but inspiration is telling us that we can expect that
he will his mysteries to us personally. Isn't that wonderful? Often we will
come to Often there will come to us a sweet, joyful sense of the
presence of Jesus. Often that's what it says. Often there will come to
us a sweet, joyful sense of his presence. Often our hearts will burn
within us as he draws nigh to commune with us, as he did with
Enoch. When this is in truth the experience of the Christian. There is
seen in his life a simplicity, Lord, help us to be simple,
Ah, a humility, Lord, teach us humility. M There will be
a meekness that's power under control brothers and sisters, and a lowliness of heart
that show to all with whom he associates that he has been with Jesus and
learned of him. Can we just pause right here and say Amen and give
God thanks for his love to be able to position us in this way God
is saying. God is saying that this is what he wants to do in
and through us. It's a blessing. We do not need to fret,
We do not need to worry. It is our privilege to have deeper and
deeper drafts. As we would use in some of the older language deeper drinks
of God, so that we can be closer to Him. Let me read
from pages sixty seven and sixty eight of the same book, Christ's object Lessons.
There can be no growth or fruitfulness in the life that is centered in
self. If you have accepted Christ as a personal savior, you are to
forget yourself and try to help others. Talk of the love of Christ,
tell others of his self sacrificing death on their behalf. As you receive the
spirit of Christ, the spirit of unselfish love and labor for others, you
will grow and bring forth fruit. Your faith will increase, your convictions,
deepen your love, be made perfect. Aren't you glad that God has not
left us alone? By the way, that's the end of the quote,
and this is the blessing of Christ centered living. Now, let me just
give four action steps before we go, before we go that will lead us
in the right direction. The first one comes from the Book of Psalms,
the Book of Psalms, chapter one hundred and thirty six and verse one,
and the Bible reads, Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for he is
good for his mercy endureth forever. So we want to immerse ourselves in His
word, in the presence of God, and give him thanks. We want
to an engender like we want to have all the time a heart of gratitude.
A heart of gratitude. Number two comes from the Book of James,
chapter four and verse eight. Very simple. Draw nigh to God. So
don't go away from God, like don't run away from God. Don't separate
yourselves from God. Draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto
you. And the text talks about repentance and so forth. But the Bible
is teaching us that we should be cultivating a personal relationship with God. Draw
nigh to him. We can't be distant from him. We can't be afar
off from Him and still have a right relationship with him. God is giving
us the privilege to be near to Him, and he has promised that he
will come near to us. And the Book of Philippians, chapter two and
verse three says, let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in
lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. And so our
focus should be others focused. We should put others first. You know.
The Bible teaches us in Matthew chapter twenty two that the first and great commandment
is to love our God with everything that we have and everything that we are
h and then it says to love our neighbors as ourselves. So we put
others first, and then finally finally from the book of First Thessalonians, chapter
two and verse four. But as we were allowed of God to be put
in trust with the Gospel, even so we speak not as pleasing men,
but God which trieth our hearts. We need to be honest, evaluate our
motives, evaluate our motives at all times. We need to know that when
we are in ministry, we should assess the reasons behind our evangelism and outreach.
Is it to build a following? Is it to build a legacy?
Is it in order for us to be if we are in a church structure
where voting takes place and elections take place. Is it so that we can
have a thrust right before it's time for that so people can think whatever positive
thing about us. Ensure that your actions are driven by genuine love and desire
to spread God's word rather than personal gain or ambition. We want to give
God thanks for the privilege for Christ centered living. Let's have a wonderful day.
Peace. Thanks for joining us listening. 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,