DAILY VIDEO DEVOTIONAL
Any work to which we give ourselves must have one clearly defined goal if we’re to be successful. That goal is the one thing for which we long. It must be that which motivates us in prayer. It doesn’t matter if all the details work out exactly as we’ve planned, as long as that God-given goal is accomplished. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, the bottom line was simple – the glory of God. That was the single objective in the prayer life of Christ.
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He concluded by teaching them to pray, “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen” (Matt. 6:13b NAS). The chief end of all He taught was the kingdom and power and glory of God. When we look into the heart of Jesus as He prayed that high priestly prayer in the 17th chapter of John, we’re struck with how consumed He was with the glory of God. He uses the word “glory” 8 times in its verb or noun form. Jesus longed for the glory of God and longed that His disciples might know God’s glory.
I often hear people pray noble prayers – prayers for the sick; prayers for world evangelism; prayers for the church; prayers for revival; and prayers for protection. I believe that God wants us to pray such prayers. But our goal in prayer must be much higher than all these petitions. There’s only one end to which we should be praying – the glory of God. All other praying misses the mark of the high calling of God upon our lives.
We often pray for bigger and better things. We pray for more people, larger crowds, and better finances. But God is longing for us to seek His face. He’s looking upon the motives of our heart. When Samuel was trying to determine who would be Israel’s leader, God whispered to him, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV).
Revival takes place when the cry of our hearts is for the glory of God. Evangelism is most effective when the deep longing of our lives is for the glory of God. Churches grow when their sole motive is the glory of God. Battles are won. Victories are realized when we seek His glory above all else.
God won’t share His glory with anyone. He alone is worthy of all the glory and honor and praise. There’s none like Him. When our hearts long for one thing and one thing alone – the glory of God – we’re on the verge of seeing God do extraordinary things. This must become the passion of our prayers. It must be the delight of our desires. Oh, the glory of God! How our hearts must be consumed with the longing to see His glory. Then we will know what it means to pray with the heart of Christ.
John : Chapter 17
24) “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25) “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26) I have made you[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
Book of the Month
Sammy Tippit told his fiancée, “I can’t promise we’ll be rich, but life won’t be boring.”
Sammy had no idea what an understatement that would become. Beginning in the bars of Baton Rouge and the nightclubs of Chicago, Tippit has shared the news of life-changing faith in Christ all over the world – including in the middle of a revolution in Romania, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda, and war in Burundi and the Congo.
Sammy’s lifelong adventure has come at a great price. He’s been cursed, threatened, arrested, deported, and blacklisted. He’s also been personally broken, ravaged with illness, and devastated by grief.
Yet he continues to preach to in stadiums, in open fields, and via satellite technology to hundreds of thousands around the globe. For all other books…
About Sammy Tippit Ministries
STM has been providing inspiration and help around the world for nearly 50 years. Sammy Tippit, founder and president, is a world renowned counselor, teacher and evangelist with experience serving and helping people in over 80 countries. Sammy provides materials that help people tackle a broad array of social, societal, psychological and spiritual issues. He is particularly passionate about making materials accessible to other countries around the world. Sammy is married to Debara “Tex” Tippit, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
Sammy Tippit Ministries is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization.
Contact: info@sammytippit.org
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