September 2

Job 20:12-21:34
Psalm 105:7-15
Proverbs 21:22-24
1 Corinthians 8:1-9:12

The Great Stimulator
There is one God, the Father. All things are from Him … And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through Him.
—1 Corinthians 8:6

In order to remain spiritually vibrant we must strive to be creative and outgoing. It is never too late to acquire this characteristic. We are made in the image of our Creator, and when we cease to be creative, we cease to be.

Kagawa, the famous Japanese Christian, used to refer to Jesus as “the great Stimulator.” One day some students asked him why he was so fond of this phrase, and he replied: “Because He stimulates the creative center in each one of us, making us first aware of God, and then aware of the infinite possibilities in God.”

When I was at school, I struggled with my studies, and although I passed all my examinations and went to college, my passes were always on the borderline. Then I found Christ as the great Stimulator—and what a change. He stimulated the creative center within me, and He so transformed my attitude toward work that within months I had moved from near the bottom of my classes to near the top.

When taking a seminar in Birmingham, I met a friend who had recently come to live there. “What do you think of Birmingham?” I asked. His reply was: “I have lived here for three months, and every day I keep seeing new horizons.” This is what happens when we stay close to Jesus—every day we keep seeing new horizons. In His company we begin to see farther, feel for people on a wider scale, act more decisively, and live on the growing edge of adventure. Why? Because a creative God gives to His creation the same creative impulses.

Prayer
O God, stimulate my whole being, I pray, so that every day I shall see new horizons. Help me never to walk with my eyes focused on the ground, but with my eyes fixed on You. For Your own dear name’s sake I ask it. Amen.

Further Study
Jn 1:1-18; Col 1:16; Php 2:1
Who is at the center of creation?
What happens if He is the center of our lives?

Every Day with Jesus Daily Bible – September 02