Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Thursday, November 30, 2017

"They first gave themselves to the Lord."¹

For many years one of my constant prayers that I like to pray every day is, "Lord, I'm available, please help me to be as Christ today in some way to every life I touch."

On one occasion when I was in a church outside of Melbourne, Australia, and was setting up in readiness for a seminar, a lady approached me and said right out of the blue, "I just saw Jesus in you!" I have no idea what she saw but her words blew me away. I've never forgotten what she said and how much her brief sentence reinforced my determination to pray the above prayer every day for the rest of my life. I hope that I so live that many people will "see" Jesus in me and, in so doing, be drawn to him.

Imagine the difference you and I could make and the impact we would have on the world in which we live if every Christian would genuinely pray this prayer every day (and made a commitment to be as Christ in all our doings).

I want to challenge you to pray this prayer every day for the rest of your life and ask you to encourage other Christians to do likewise. (One way you could do this is by sending them a copy of this Daily Encounter.) With God's help we can all do this and make a difference with our life and help change our worldâ€"one person at a time.

For today's suggested prayer, let us pray the beautiful prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light, and
Where there is sadness, joy.

"O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much
Seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

"And Lord, I'm available. Please help me to be as Christ in some way to every life I touch today. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 2 Corinthians 8:5 (NKJV).

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