Joni And Friends Devotional 17th August 2023
Joni and Friends Devotional 17th August 2023 Thursday Message. As you study today’s devotional, remember this; “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (NLT)
TOPIC: Rescue the Perishing
“Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” – Jude 1:22-23
The movie Titanic launched me into one of the liveliest—and longest—prayer times I’ve ever had. With images of that great sinking ship in my mind… and the frantic families trapped by locked hatches down in second class… and men resigned to the inevitable, drinking brandy and toasting their fate… I left the movie crying to God to show mercy to those who didn’t know him. “Oh Lord,” I prayed, “rescue the perishing! Please remember my neighbor, the lady at the salad counter in Gelson’s, the checkout guys at the drugstore, and….” On and on I went, listing men, women, and children, some who I knew by name, but most, only by face.
The movie was a powerful metaphor of a frightening reality. This tiny planet has absorbed a mortal blow, a gash in its side. Rebellion against God has set it on a crash course with hell, and whether we like it or not, it’s going down—dragging a vast multitude of people with it. Stop and listen. Do you feel the tremor? The down-deep rumbling of something gone terribly wrong?
God didn’t make hell for people. Jesus said it was “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). It’s unnatural for humans to be there—as unnatural as our turning our backs on a Creator who loves us. God takes no joy in anyone heading for eternal misery. His Son Jesus is the lifeboat, the ark, big enough and wide enough to rescue the perishing.
If you had the opportunity to warn people who were about to board the Titanic in England, what would you do? Shrug your shoulders and go back to your novel? Ask the Lord to open your eyes to the urgency of telling men, women, and children about the Lifeboat that will bear them safely into eternity.
Lord, forgive me for my nonchalant attitude toward the eternal destiny of my friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family.
Thank you for reading Joni And Friends Devotional 17th August 2023
READ MORE TOPICS: OPEN HEAVENS, OUR DAILY BREAD, IN TOUCH, SEEDS OF DESTINY, STREAMS OF JOY, JOEL OSTEEN, MOUNTAIN TOP LIFE, DCLM DAILY MANNA, UCB WORD FOR TODAY