Friday, July 20, 2012

Sacrifice of Life for Love - July 20

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes and open my ears to look and listen for Your leading in these first moments of my morning today. ...

"Jesus answered them, 'The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life, lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves Me must follow Me, and where I am, there will My servant be also. Whoever serves Me, the Father will honor" (John 12:23-26).


A valley stream runs by the Breakthrough Church at the foot of the mountain in Juneau, Alaska where we were speaking last night. And right before the meeting we saw several huge salmon, who had swam upstream from the ocean to spawn and to die. It's the last act of their life cycle-to return to the stream where they were born and lay down their lives to give birth to the next generation. In these sacred moments, having grown into fully maturity, they are consumed with this passion and service of self-sacrifice.


How beautiful. How sad if we see it through self-centered eyes. And yet, how humbling is this prophetic picture of Your call to us to lay down our lives for the sake of others, just as You laid down Your life for us. This is truly the test of our spiritual maturity. And this is truly the way we find our way home, being conformed into the image of the One we're called to follow.


Lord, help me find my way home. Help me grow up into spiritual maturity, following You and Your example of sacrificial love. Help me willingly choose every day to lay down my life for Your sake and Your calling for the purposes You've chosen for my life to bear much fruit. May it no longer be I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). In Jesus' name I pray.


Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


Friends, please keep us in prayer as Sylvia and I speak and minister this week at Breakthrough Church in Juneau, Alaska (http://breakthroughalaska.com) Next week, we'll be ministering at Cowboy Church in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. We praise God for our great friend and intercessor, Linda Coulter who provided the way for us to come and minister in Alaska! And we praise God for you and all who cover us in prayer and support us in ministry that allow us to go where the Lord sends us.

If you would like to be part of our Interactive Intercessory Prayer Team, please send a note to Heather Butler, our Pastor of Prayer Ministries, who lives in Wales but coordinates our team through the internet: PrayerLead@Messiah-Ministries.org
Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!
Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out