David Livingstone

Coral Ridge Ministries

David Livingstone

Matthew 28:20

October 23, 2023

“… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
— Matthew 28:20

Today I want to share a spiritual secret. This secret was the key to the extraordinary service of David Livingstone, one of the greatest missionaries in the Church’s history.

Livingstone committed himself to living for Christ. Consider this prayer from his diary: “Lord, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. Sever any ties but the tie that binds me to Thy service and Thy heart.” And so it happened that God took Livingstone to task. “Send me anywhere …” Livingstone had learned of the villages in Africa where no missionary had ever gone before, and he felt led to go there. “Lay any burden on me …” Once in Africa, Livingstone encountered numerous trials. First, a lion attacked him, crushing his shoulder. Then, while crossing one of the vast plains of Africa, one of his children died. To add to that, when his children reached school age, he had to send them and his wife back to Scotland. The loneliness weighed heavily upon him. But Livingstone was undaunted, and he went deeper and deeper into Africa all alone. “Sever any ties …” When Livingstone went back to Scotland, he found that his beloved father had died. Later Livingstone returned to Africa, and though his wife joined him in this venture, she passed away soon after her arrival. But Livingstone pressed on despite all this. Livingstone tramped across Africa for thirty-three years. Because of his faithfulness to the Lord, two million people heard the Gospel, and the Light of Christ came into Africa. Livingstone set his heart on Christ and committed himself wholly to the Lord.

What was Livingstone’s secret to maintaining his commitment despite all his struggles? Christ’s presence. In the midst of all of his hardships and toils, he knew Christ remained with him, for He had said, “I am with you always.” This day, let Livingstone’s example encourage you. No matter how hectic your life may get, remember that Jesus Christ is with you wherever you go, whatever you do.

QUOTE:
“Give me, O God, this day a strong and vivid sense that Thou art by my side.”
— John Baillie

Luther's Quest For God

October 31, 2023

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” — Romans 1:17 While our culture sets this day aside as Halloween, I think a much more fitting event to celebrate happened on this day in 1517—the Reformation of the Church, when Martin Luther, a humble monk, made public ninety-five reasons the Church needed to reform. Luther knew how desperately the world and the Church needed to know we could gain grace only through faith. He dedicated his life to discovering and preaching this truth. Luther was born November 10, 1483, into a poor family of German woodcutters. Realizing that their son was gifted, Luther’s parents scrimped and saved to send him to the university, where he studied law. Returning home from school on foot, he and a friend were caught in a thunderstorm and his friend was struck by lightning and killed. This terrified Luther and he vowed to enter a monastery so he could search for God. One question plagued him without ceasing: How could he, a sinful man, ever become pure enough to stand in the awesome presence of a holy God who was an all-consuming fire? Luther spent years trying every way he knew to purify his soul. He spent hours each day confessing his sins. He beat himself with a whip until he became bloody and unconscious. He prayed for six weeks, fasted, and slept very little. He stayed out all night long, naked, in the deep snows of Germany. But one day the Lord spoke to him through the Scriptures, specifically Romans 1:17: “The just shall live by faith.” Suddenly Luther saw the Gospel. He discovered God’s grace. He realized that only those justified by faith in Christ’s blood will live and those who seek to justify themselves in any other way shall not live. Luther spent the rest of his life promoting and defending this truth. Even when he was on trial, faced with being burned at the stake, he clung fiercely to it. Justification by faith is still our great hope and joy. QUOTE: “Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me! Amen!” — Martin Luther

To Win The Warfare Within

October 30, 2023

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” — John 3:6 When we become born again, we inherit a spiritual battle. Our old nature wars against our new one. Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade used to tell a story that described these old and new natures as two dogs: a black dog and a white dog that were wont to fight viciously. Dr. Bright said, “Which dog will win is determined by which dog you feed. Feed the black dog and starve the white dog, and the black dog will win; feed the white dog and starve the black dog, and the white dog will win.” Which nature are you feeding? Much in our culture feeds the “black dog.” We feed our sin-filled natures often—not always, but often—when we turn on the television set; go to a movie; read a newspaper, magazine, or novel; or listen to modern music. But we have a bountiful feast with which to feed the “white dog”—God’s Word. As we read Scripture, God prepares us for the spiritual warfare we face. To be strong warriors for Christ, we need to dwell less on things of the flesh and instead delve into the Bible. We need to write God’s Word on the slates of our minds and the tablets of our hearts. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” We can also feed our new nature by spending quiet time with God, especially by praying for forgiveness, guidance, and counsel. If we are ever to win the warfare within, we need to engage evil with God as our guide. Do you need to reevaluate your spiritual “diet?” Choose to feast on God’s Word and on time spent with Him. Do so, and you’ll gain all the strength you need for the battles ahead. QUOTE: “Two natures beat within my breast. The one is foul, the other blest. The one I love, the other I hate. The one I feed will dominate.” — Anonymous

The Warfare Within

October 29, 2023

“For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” — Romans 7:19 Have you ever felt the aggravation of doing the very sin you wanted to avoid? Or of not doing a good work you had intended to do? Why do we find ourselves in this bind on such a consistent basis? When we hand our lives to Jesus, He gives us a new nature that is spotless and clean, incapable of sinning. But as fallen people we also carry within us a nature capable of vile and hideous deeds. And herein lies the battle. Our regeneration sets up a dichotomy of the new and old natures, and when the Spirit of God dwells in our hearts, we recognize just how wretched we truly are. Only when Paul identified his God-given nature was he able to comprehend his captivity, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me?” St. Augustine, poignantly aware of his sinfulness, wrote, “By these links, as it were, a chain was I held, shackled with a hard bondage. So these my two wills—the one old, the other new; the one carnal, the other spiritual—contended together, and by their discord disturbed my soul.” Does your soul cry out for deliverance from your sinful nature? Then nurture your new nature. Read God’s Word daily, and spend quiet time with the Lord. My friend, I urge you to act on God’s directive: “Be still, and know that I am God.” If you want your new nature to conquer the old, you must allow Him to feed your soul. And no matter how tough the battles get, always remember that on the cross Jesus Christ won the war—once and for all. QUOTE: “I make it a rule of Christian duty never to go to a place where there is not room for my Master as well as myself.” — John Newton (Author Of “Amazing Grace”)