Devotionals by Dr. Jeff Schreve
BREAKER 1-9 FOR A RADIO CHECK
But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
1 Timothy 1:5
Do you remember the CB Radio craze? I was in junior high when it hit. It was the poor man’s version of Facebook or a chat room. It seems pretty lame today, but back then my friends and I thought it was so awesome. CB Radios were selling off the shelves.
To talk on the CB Radio, you had to know the lingo and have a “handle” – your CB Radio name. I remember racking my brain trying to come up with something cool. (I liked “Bandit,” but Burt Reynolds had already taken it!)
As you tried to generate conversation with a fellow CBer, a good opener was always, “Breaker 1-9 [assuming you were on channel 19] for a radio check; come in radio check.” You were asking for someone to tell you if you were coming in loud and clear.
BREAKER, BREAKER
In the Christian life, one of the things that is often overlooked but very important to do is a “radio check” with God. “Heavenly Father, am I coming in loud and clear? How is my signal, my connection, my walk with you?”
David asked for a radio check in Psalm 139:23-24 when he prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.”
When was the last time you did a “radio check” with God?
MY NEWEST REVELATION
Yesterday, as I was studying for a sermon on 1 Corinthians 13, God revealed this truth to my heart: The acid test of spiritual maturity is a growing love for God and people. If your love is not growing for God and people, you are not growing in your Christian life.
Jesus made it crystal clear that the most important commandments are (1) loving God with all you are, and (2) loving people as you love yourself. If I am to grow as a Christian, the proof of spiritual growth is not how much I know, it is how much I care. It is not how often I go to church … or how many Bible studies I am involved in … or how many people consider me a strong Christian … or how many verses I have memorized. The real proof is how much my heart is growing with love. Paul said that love is the goal of our instruction.
If you will do a “radio check” with God, He will question back to you:
“Do you love Me more today?
Are you growing in your love and appreciation for Me?
Do you love what I love … people for whom I died?”
ARE YOU REALLY GROWING?
If love is truly the acid test of spiritual maturity (and it no doubt is), how are you doing with this thing called love?
If you are really growing in your love for the Lord, your life will show it in obedience to His commands. Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me” (John 14:21).
If you are really growing in your love for others, your life will show it in the way you treat people, in the way you pray for people. Christians who are really growing are praying daily for unsaved family, friends, neighbors and associates. They have a burden for lost people who are one heartbeat from an eternal hell.
Will you do a “radio check” today? Ask God to show you where you are with Him. Ask Him to change you, to grow you, to help understand His love for you better … so that you can love Him back – “We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). And ask Him to give you a heart for people, especially lost people who desperately need to know about a Savior who can forgive all their sins and change their lives if they will just surrender to Him.
Love,
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
Dr. Jeff Schreve believes that no matter how badly you may have messed up in life, God still loves you and has a wonderful plan just for you. From His Heart provides real truth, love and hope on over 700 radio stations each day, in 182 countries each week on TV, and is always available online. Pastor Jeff takes no income from this ministry. All donations go to furthering the broadcast outreach. As a listener/viewer supported ministry, we thank you for joining with us to help speak the truth in love to a lost and hurting world. Go to www.fromhisheart.org for more information.
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About From His Heart
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About Dr. Jeff Schreve
Growing up in a church-going home, Jeff learned a lot about God, but he did not know God. He believed in Jesus in the same way he believed in George Washington: he knew Jesus was real, but had not personally met Him. All this changed one night after a Young Life meeting when he was alone in his bedroom. There Jeff saw his need for Christ and His forgiveness and surrendered his life to Jesus.
As a student at the University of Texas, Jeff grew in his Christian life. He graduated with a degree in business and moved back home to Houston, Texas to start a career in business. There he met his future wife, Debbie, at a single's group meeting at Champion Forest Baptist Church. They were married in 1986 and have been blessed with a wonderful relationship and three awesome daughters and two beautiful grandchildren.
A New Direction
After spending 13 years as a chemical salesman, God called Dr. Schreve to preach. He left his secure position and moved his family to North Carolina to attend Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. It was a scary and difficult move to make ... but it was one of the best decisions they have ever made. One year later, God called them to serve on staff at Champion Forest Baptist Church. In 2000, he completed his Master of Divinity degree graduating from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He graduated with a Doctor of Ministry degree in 2014 from Southeastern Seminary.
Jeff Schreve has been the senior Pastor of First Baptist Texarkana in 2003, a growing and exciting church with 4500+ members.
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