Speaker 1: 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.
Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. It is Sunday, December seven,
twenty twenty five. Hello, my name is El David Harris.
I am your host in 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 lessons of Faith from Joshua, and our caption
for today is Commitment. Commitment. We'll get into that in
just a moment, but first I'll to say welcome to
everyone joining us, especially those joining us for the very
first time. Please go over to your Daily Portion dot com,
Please join our online community, pick up your Daily Portion
Life Application Guide, and if the Lord puts it on
your heart, go ahead and click that donate button any
amount is helpful and let us know where you are
in the world at your Daily Portion dot com. This
is one of the ways that we continue to build
faith and fellowship. Let's pray, Father, we thank you for
the blessing that you have given us to be committed
to You. Help us to be committed to you. Please,
in Jesus name, I pray, Amen and a man again.
So for those who often wonder, like how we do
this program, we don't go through the lesson word for
word because you already have that. You've already probably watched
other programs for all I know that do exactly that,
reading it as it is and giving commentary on it.
So what I like to do is to pull out
the principles there and then give us ways to apply
based on other areas of scripture and more resources. Okay,
and so this is why we do it the way
we do. So first I'd like to read I'd like
to read from the book Testimonies for the Church, Volume eight,
page two hundred and forty two, where it reads because
remember our captionist commitment, wholehearted service to God will unify
the people of God when self dies. When Christ lives
in the heart, discord fades and prayer becomes the bond
of perfect nests. How often do you pray brothers and sisters?
I'm not asking you to type it in the chat?
Are you living like Enoch who walked with God, who
prayed with the Bible? Say, pray without ceasing? Are you
one of those? Do you pray with brothers and sisters
who are in the faith, with your family, etc. You know?
So this is one of the things that drives us
to wholehearted service. Now let me read something else from J. N.
Latinborough from February eighteen, eighteen sixty two, reviewing Herald. Union
among believers comes when all labor with a single eye
to the glory of God. Separate aims divide, a higher
calling unites. So really, the big looming question is what
is your higher calling? Is it the mission of Christ?
Now let's go with our lesson number one. True commitment
serves God first from the Bible Book of Ephesians, chapter
six and and verse seven. Ephesians chapter six and verse seven.
With good will, doing service as to the Lord and
not to men. We have said this before, now we
are bringing it up again. Why Why because this Greek
word for service means devoted ministry. Now from the lesson,
the Eastern tribes fought for six to seven years. Why
did they do this because they understood that they were
serving Yahweh, blessed be his name, not merely assisting their
fellow Israelites. That's what this is all about. This is
we're doing this as unto God. It's great that we
think about what we're doing in the body of believers.
It's great that we have fellowship with humans. Yes, that
is a goal. Like God said, you know through Christ.
He said, this is the way that they will know
that you are my disciples, if you have love one
toward another. But in this text we see that service
when it is rendered to God first, then sacrifice becomes faithfulness.
Sacrifice becomes faithfulness. Some people see it as a burden.
Look at what I've had to give up. That's not it.
And so the action step is begin every task today.
I'm talking about this day on the seventh day of
December today, saying Lord, I do this for you. When
you're washing the dishes and cleaning the bathroom, when you're
doing something that you feel like you shouldn't be responsible
for because somebody else neglected to do it at work. Ah,
when you are going out and doing some kind of
ministry for people to bring them closer to God. All
of this, God, I'm doing this for you, And let
this mindset reshape your commitment and your endurance. There are
times that you get tired, all of us do, but
this will help us.
Speaker 1: God.
Speaker 2: This is in your honor. So please abide in me
like you said. You said, if I abide in you
and your word abide in me, then I can ask
what I will and it will be done. Unto me. God,
I need your grace, I need your strength, I need endurance.
I need commitment to the next level because I'm getting
weary now. Lesson number two. Unity grows when we share
each other's battles. From the Bible, Book of Romans, Chapter
twelve and verse ten, the Bible reads, be kindly affectioned
one to another, with brotherly love in honor, preferring one another.
And so that term that we get Philadelphia from that
has to do with affection. It means like family or
brotherly style of affection. The Rubinites, the Gadites, the half
tribe of Manasse risk their lives to secure the inheritance
of the other tribes. They had filial love.
Speaker 1: Hm.
Speaker 2: They had that kind of love. Their commitment proved that
God's people cannot thrive in isolation. Mission succeeds only when
the community stands together, fights together, and trusts together. The
action step find one person in your faith fellowship to
support intentionally. Is it with prayer? Is it with encouragement?
Is it from some style of practical help? Are you
going out to the grocery store for them? Are you
having to share your financial means with them? Is it time?
Do you need to read for someone who has difficulty seeing?
What is it that you need to do to cut
someone's yard whose grass is out of control and they
seem not to have someone to assist. What is it
that we can do in the faith community to show
this kind of brotherly love like these tribes did for theirs.
Now we go to lesson number three, as we come
to a swift close faithfulness flows from a higher calling.
I've already mentioned that to you. Now we read it
from Colossians chapter three and verse twenty three, and the
Bible reads, and whatsoever ye do do it heartily as
to the Lord your boss is getting under your skin.
Do it heartily as unto the Lord. You're in church
and the people are complaining and griping and murmuring, and
you're tired. Do it heartily, as unto the Lord and
not unto men. And that word heartily actually means with
your whole being. Joshua reminded the departing tribes that their
success came because they had served God heartily or wholeheartedly.
When believers keep their divine calling in view, discouragement loses
power and duty becomes our devotion to God. So write
down your why in Christ, keep your calling in front
of you as motivation when challenges can will and do arise.
I'm grateful that God has given us a higher standard,
a higher calling to seal our commitment. I think somewhere
else in the scripture that's called covenant. Keep your covenant
with God and with His people.
Speaker 1: 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,