There is no greater joy than when you know God has given you an assignment and you carry it out. Today, I am basking in the peaceful satisfaction of completing such a task.

My heart overflows with thanks to our heavenly Father—for life, His love, the blessing of family, friends, and fellowship, and for His faithfulness through every season.

I’m thankful for the desire God put on my heart as a teenager to be a writer. As the years unfolded, it gradually came to fruition as I began writing for a local newspaper, then magazines, and websites—leading to the day 10 years ago when He told me, “it’s time to use your writing for me.”

Recently, God gave me the assignment to write three 40-day devotionals—on the themes of JOY, PEACE, and TRANSFORMATION. Each book in the Moments with the Master series aims to help readers live in union with Christ more.

God gives each of us assignments. They may change throughout the seasons of our lives, yet each is timely, precious, and valuable in His sight.

Daily we have opportunities to serve Him in those assignments. Whether you are setting up chairs for a meeting, cooking for others, building shelves for the homeless shelter, or taking care of grandchildren—when done with love, it yields profit and blessing.

In His eyes, it matters.

What assignment has God given you?

Copyright © 2024 Cheryl Elton

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Imagine yourself gathering with Jesus and His closest followers for dinner—not just any dinner, but the meal that will be their last before the Messiah is led away and crucified.

That evening, Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples are recorded in John 14–16. He spells out what is coming: He will be leaving, but the Father will send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who will teach all things to those who believe in Him.

John 15 gives a beautiful illustration of how we are to bear fruit in our lives by abiding in Jesus Christ. It begins: 

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. . . . Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:1-8 NKJV)

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches.

A branch in and of itself does not bear fruit. It must be connected to the vine to receive the nourishment it needs. Through Jesus Christ, we receive the spiritual nourishment needed to bear good godly fruit in our lives.

Notice the word abide—used 10 times in six verses of this section alone! It means to remain, continue, or live in union with. This connection—one that abides in the vine—denotes an ongoing relationship with Christ.

To reach the deeper levels of our faith—that of abiding—we must intentionally strengthen the quality of time spent with Him.

How often do we sit quietly and simply enjoy His presence?

Abiding is more than reading our Bible for 10 minutes in the morning and then leaving God on the table as we hurry to our next task.

Abiding grows our relationship with Him from being a morning-only appointment to an all-day awareness of His presence.

Abiding is not an emotion achieved, but an ongoing relationship enjoyed.

Abiding means Jesus is no longer simply someone we read about and can quote, but a living master and friend; one we are engaged with throughout the day.

Abiding is obeying Jesus’ words to us. We’re aware when He brings His word to our remembrance, and we do what it says.

Abiding in Christ, we learn to hear His voice. We begin to recognize the “still small voice” of His Spirit speaking to ours.

Abiding gives us the inner rest and refreshing we need to do the work He has called us to do. How often He supernaturally rewards the time spent in abiding, so we do less, but accomplish more for His glory!

Abiding in Christ we bear fruit. We experience His love, His joy, His peace, His patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The Spirit works to grow these Christlike qualities in us, as we learn to abide in Him. This beautiful, ongoing, intimate relationship with the Lord allows us to not only bear fruit, but much fruit, in our lives!

Copyright © 2019 Cheryl Elton

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As a young man, Smith Wigglesworth knew God’s plan for Christians involved power—spiritual power that could not be of ourselves. 

When he learned from the Scriptures that speaking in tongues was the natural outflow of being baptized in the Spirit, it propelled his ministry to new and even greater dimensions. 

Please enjoy this 8-minute video showing how Wigglesworth used the power of speaking in tongues to supercharge his ministry: perhaps his greatest “secret” of all!

Copyright © 2018 Cheryl Elton

The post Living in the Miraculous: Smith Wigglesworth – Part 3 appeared first on Cheryl Elton.

For Smith Wigglesworth, experiencing the miraculous was not a rare occurrence, but part of everyday life.

Throughout his amazing ministry, countless people were healed of serious illnesses and disease, 14 people were raised from the dead, and thousands came to faith in Christ in his meetings.

So . . . what were Wigglesworth’s “secrets” to such a powerful walk with God?

His ability to flow in the Spirit was simple: he had a consuming love for the Word of God, and he lived in the presence of the Lord he loved with all his heart—thereby hearing and obeying the voice of the Spirit as he moved among people.

While Christians often look for specific “keys” or “techniques” for ministering, Wigglesworth had none.

His walk by the Spirit was so precise, that no two situations were handled the same.

While ministering to the sick, for example, some he anointed with oil, others he laid hands on, and at times, he just spoke the Word of God.

Regardless of the method, the results were the same.

What other secrets contributed to Wigglesworth’s dynamic lifestyle of faith?

Wigglesworth was a man of prayer. When asked if he regularly spent long sessions in prayer, he said, “I don’t very often spend more than a half hour in prayer at a time, but I never go more than a half hour without praying.”

Wigglesworth had great love and compassion for those in need. Like Jesus, he was “moved with compassion” when encountering those needing healing, or without God. (Matthew 9:36, Mark 1:40-41)

Wigglesworth knew the danger of pride, and never let it invade the sanctity of his fellowship with God. To do this, he took Communion every day, recognizing that the acknowledgment of Christ’s accomplishments served as a powerful antidote against pride.

He saw earth’s circumstances from heaven’s perspective. As a result, he carried a calmness and peace known only to those who live in the Spirit, and was always ready for service, never taken by surprise.

He directed all his actions toward “soulwinning”. As far as he was concerned, seeking God’s direction about where and how to share Christ was the only valid approach to witnessing.

Wigglesworth had great spiritual discernment. He allowed the Spirit to reveal the source of a person’s affliction.

When confronting powers of darkness, he was never afraid. For him, discerning satanic activity came from simply living in the presence of Him who is holy.

Before going to bed, Wigglesworth filled his mind with the Word of God. During sleep, his subconscious mind had the pure Word to digest, and he often woke with a fresh revelation thought.

He believed every child of God holds the potential for the miraculous. He said people tend to categorize things—including sins and miracles—as big or small. To God there is no difference between healing a toothache or raising the dead. A miracle is a miracle.

Wigglesworth lived by the word of God and saw God confirm His word to such an extent that he was surprised when a miracle didn’t happen!

He knew that of ourselves, we are nothing, but in God we can be mighty.

His success was not in his ability, but in his availability to be used of God.

When Wigglesworth was baptized in the Spirit and spoke in tongues, it set the foundation for new and higher dimensions of ministry.

In Part 3, we’ll focus specifically on how he used this tremendous power base!

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NOTE: The book Smith Wigglesworth: The Secret Of His Power, by Albert Hibbert, is the source for much of the information in this post. A highly recommended read!

Copyright © 2018 Cheryl Elton

The post Living in the Miraculous: Smith Wigglesworth – Part 2 appeared first on Cheryl Elton.

It’s been said that a person was never the same after an encounter with Smith Wigglesworth.

Known as the “apostle of faith,” Wigglesworth (1859-1947) was a British evangelist who spearheaded a powerful healing and deliverance ministry that ultimately led to the foundation of the modern Pentecostal movement.

Wigglesworth would pray, and broken limbs were healed, people came out of wheelchairs; cancers were destroyed, blind eyes saw. His life exuded the power of God in manifestation in ways few have ever seen.

During his lifetime, fourteen confirmed incidents of raising people from the dead occurred. In one case, Wigglesworth went to the home of a family mourning the death of their little boy, just five years old.

Tears ran down Wigglesworth’s face as he stood looking at the boy lying in the coffin. He asked the family to leave the room, then lifted the boy’s body and stood it in the corner of the room. Rebuking death in the name of Jesus Christ, he commanded it to surrender its victim. The boy returned to life!

Supernatural signs such as this followed Wigglesworth’s ministry everywhere he went. As requests poured in, he taught and ministered in Europe, Asia, America, South Africa, and many other areas, impacting whole continents for Christ in his lifetime.

Throughout Wigglesworth’s amazing ministry, countless people were healed of serious illnesses and disease, and thousands came to faith in Christ in his meetings.

Wigglesworth scorned people’s praise for any miracle, wanting only Christ to be seen. All glory must go to God alone.

Surprisingly, Wigglesworth never went to school. From age seven he was sent to the mill to work, sometimes 12-14 hours a day to help provide for his poor family.

Not until age 26 did he learn to read and write, when his wife Polly taught him.

Yet Wigglesworth said, “I could not recollect a time when I did not long for God. I was always seeking Him. As a young lad, I would kneel down and ask Him to help me.”

His insatiable hunger for God caused him to faithfully wait upon the Lord until he was transformed and cleansed of self—a process he recognized took time.

Wigglesworth never got involved in theological debates. Rather, he filled his mind with the Word of God and relied on the Holy Spirit to be his teacher and guide. The revelation he received was tremendous.

He couldn’t accept the idea of engaging in God’s work without Him supplying the power to do so. For Wigglesworth, the anointing of the Holy Spirit was the key requisite for ministry, and that which should supply the enabling power in every Christian endeavor.

Always seeking the presence of the Lord, he kept a ready ear for the voice of the God’s Holy Spirit, and followed His leading.

The more Wigglesworth experienced God, the more he wanted of Him. His only desire was to be like Christ.

Albert Hibbert, a personal friend, summed up Wigglesworth’s passionate hunger well by sharing these words:

All of self, none of God.
Less of self, more of God.
None of self, all of God.

For Smith Wigglesworth, experiencing the miraculous was not a rare occurrence, but rather part of everyday life.

How did he achieve this? Stay tuned—Part 2 will highlight many of Wigglesworth’s secrets!

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NOTE: The book Smith Wigglesworth: The Secret Of His Power, by Albert Hibbert, is the source for much of the information in this post. A highly recommended read!

Copyright © 2018 Cheryl Elton

The post Living in the Miraculous: Smith Wigglesworth – Part 1 appeared first on Cheryl Elton.

Beautiful butterflies flitted all around me, silently gliding through the air and softly landing on nearby plants and flowers.

Not just a few butterflies, mind you, but more than 7,000 butterflies flying freely in a large five-story tropical conservatory.

This spring I visited the Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition,[1] featuring more than 40 different species imported from the Far East and Central America.

Seeing the kaleidoscope of colors, shapes, and patterns of these delicate creatures, and observing the various stages of their growth was truly breathtaking!                                           

Scientists continue to be amazed how one creature: a caterpillar, transforms into an entirely different one: the butterfly. 

Metamorphosis is the biological term describing this transformation, or complete change.

It comes from the Greek word metamorphóō, used in Romans 12:2:

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform (metamorphóō) you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” 

The process of metamorphosis wonderfully illustrates the life of a Christian learning to walk in the steps of Christ. 

This transformation doesn’t happen instantly, but through various stages. In the case of the butterfly, first there’s the egg, then the caterpillar (or larva). It begins to change and a hard shell, or chrysalis forms. From this, finally emerges the butterfly.

Similarly, as Christians submitting our lives to Him, the old sinful nature gradually dies as our new nature in Christ is being developed.

We literally move from a life of rebellion against God to living a Christlike life that glorifies God, and bears much fruit.

God does the transforming, as we yield ourselves to the working of the Holy Spirit—renewing our minds, and teaching us the ways of Christ. We start thinking, feeling, and viewing things as He does.

The progression of dying to self and becoming like Christ happens daily as we choose to spend time with Him—to meet Him in that secret place, to acknowledge His presence, to walk and talk with Him.

In this process we bear fruit in our lives—others see it, they are nourished, and seeds are planted in their lives. Ultimately some will go on to produce fruit of their own.

Through this wonderful progression of spiritual growth and bearing fruit, God is responding to the longings of our hearts . . . transforming us into being more like Him.

[1] At the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Copyright © 2017 Cheryl Elton

The post Growing Spiritual Fruit: Part 3 appeared first on Cheryl Elton.

Imagine yourself gathering with Jesus and His closest followers for dinner—not just any dinner, but the meal that will be their last before the Messiah is led away and crucified.

That evening, Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples are recorded in John 14–16. He lays out what is coming: He will be leaving, but the Father will send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who will teach all things to those who believe in Him.

John 15 gives a beautiful illustration of how we are to bear fruit in our lives by abiding in Jesus Christ. It begins: 

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. . . . Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:1-8 NKJV) 

Here, in the first eight verses, fruit is mentioned six times!

It’s clear God doesn’t want us to simply bear some fruit, but much fruit.

Why? 

So our lives may glorify Him!

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches.

A branch in and of itself does not bear fruit. It must be connected to the vine. Through Jesus Christ (the vine) we receive the nourishment we need to bear fruit. Without Him, we bear no fruit and “can do nothing.”

Our Heavenly Father is the vinedresser, or gardener who tends to our fruit. Verse two uses the phrase “takes away”, or in some translations “cuts off.”

A clearer rendering from the Greek (airo) would be “take up” or “lift up.”

The branches of plants like grapevines have a natural tendency to trail down and grow along the ground. Here, they get muddy and don’t yield fruit. So a gardener often will lift the branches up, wash them off, and tie them to a trellis or pole, so again they can receive sunlight and flourish.

Likewise, God doesn’t cut off or throw us away when we fall into the dirt and stop producing fruit. Rather, He lifts us up, and helps us thrive again.

The gardener also prunes healthy branches so they remain strong and fruitful. Pruning doesn’t kill a plant, but rather reshapes it to come back stronger.

If we stay connected to Jesus Christ, taking our nourishment from Him, we will bear good godly fruit. We may experience seasons of lifting or pruning, but will come back stronger and more fruitful.

John 15 exhorts us toward an ongoing relationship with Christ—one that “abides in the vine.”

In six verses, the word “abide” is used ten times!

To abide means to stay closely connected, to continue, or remain.

How do we accomplish this abiding in Christ?

Surely reading and meditating on God’s word, and prayer are important parts of abiding.

But to reach the deep levels of abiding we must intentionally strengthen the quality of time spent with God.

Abiding is much more than reading our Bible for 10 minutes in the morning and then leaving God on the table as we hurry to our next activity.

Abiding grows your relationship with Him from a morning-only appointment to an all-day awareness of His presence.

Many Christians excel at doing activities for God, yet fail at simply enjoying His company.

How often do you sit quietly and simply enjoy His presence?

Abiding means Jesus is no longer a historical figure we can quote, but a living master and friend—one we are engaged with throughout the day.

Abiding in Christ, we hear His words, allow them to dwell within us, and obey what He tells us.

Abiding gives us the inner rest and refreshing we need to do the work He has called us to do. How often He supernaturally rewards the time spent in abiding, so we do less, but accomplish much more for His glory!

Abiding in Christ we experience His love, His joy, His peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, as the Spirit (gardener) works to grow these Christlike qualities, or fruit of the Spirit, in us.

This kind of ongoing, intimate relationship with Christ allows us to abide in Him.

Subsequently, we will bear much fruit in our lives!

Part 3 will look at how God transforms us to become more like Christ.

Copyright © 2017 Cheryl Elton

The post Growing Spiritual Fruit: Part 2 appeared first on Cheryl Elton.

One of the most exciting realities of the Christian life is that when we enter into relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit begins a divine work to produce Christ’s character within us.

In doing so, our whole outlook on life changes. His thoughts become our thoughts. His actions become our actions. His purposes become our own.

We become more Christ-like.

No longer living by the old sinful nature, we now live by the Spirit, and in doing so, we bear fruit.

Fruit is mentioned many times in the Bible, both literally and figuratively. The concept of bearing fruit is used often.

Fruit, as the result of work or activity, can be either good or bad. And just as with literal fruit, no fruit grows until seeds are planted.

Likewise for us: the fruit evidenced in our lives grows from what we allow to take root in our hearts.

Galatians 5:16-25 contrasts the fruit of our old sinful nature with the fruit of the Spirit—our new nature in Christ—and what it looks like to be directed by or live by each. The section concludes: 

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

Interestingly, the Greek word for “fruit” (karpós) is in the singular, indicating there is one fruit with nine attributes, or characteristics.

Like a bowl filled with various kinds of fruit—strawberries, apples, pears, grapes, etc.—yet together referred to as a single bowl of fruit.

By definition, karpós[1], used figuratively, results from the joining of two life-streams—the Lord living His life through ours—to yield what is eternal. In this usage, it implies that everything is done in true partnership with Christ.

What an awesome reality!

As we learn to partner with Christ and live in His presence, the Spirit helps us practice the same love Jesus had when He laid down His life for us.

The joy Jesus experienced begins to fill our hearts.

The same peace that guarded Jesus’ heart, even as He endured the cross, protects ours.

The kind of patience Jesus showed to Peter works in us.

The kindness Jesus showed to the woman taken in adultery starts to soften our hearts toward others.

The Father’s goodness that Jesus showed others, the Spirit now works in us.

The same faithfulness that caused Jesus to always seek and obey the Father is built into our hearts.

The gentleness Jesus showed to children wells up within us.

The self-control Jesus exhibited by always doing the Father’s will, the Spirit now grows in us, so we may resist temptation and do what is right.

Like fruit ripening on the vine, all fruit of the Spirit is grown as we cultivate a close love relationship with the Master.

Throughout our lives, we grow in displaying Christ to the world around us through the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control God develops in us.

The Holy Spirit guides this process—growing this wonderful spiritual fruit in us—transforming us toward full maturation in Christ.

[1] See Strong’s 2590

Part 2 will explore more on how to grow spiritual fruit in our lives and its purpose.

Copyright © 2017 Cheryl Elton

The post Growing Spiritual Fruit: Part 1 appeared first on Cheryl Elton.

December closed out with our ministry’s annual board meeting. As a group, we rejoiced at all that was accomplished in the past year, and brainstormed plans and goals for the year ahead.

I enjoy the synergy of these meetings. The give and take of everyone sharing ideas leads to a combined result greater than the sum of what we would each individually bring to the table.

The word synergy comes from the Greek sunergeo, meaning “to work together.”

The apostle Paul used sunergeo—translated “works” or “working together,”—in a commonly quoted verse of Scripture:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV) 

In the context of suffering, Paul wanted the church to know that although God didn’t cause their suffering, He would in all things—the seemingly good and bad—be working to bring to pass His desired plan for their ultimate good.

Is this good referring to health, wealth, success, happiness? The temporal blessings of this life?

Or is it perhaps, something greater?

The next verse sheds further light:

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” (Romans 8:29) 

In every situation of life, our Heavenly Father wants us to know Christ intimately—to share in His sufferings as well as His glory that we may be made like Him.

God wants us to draw near to Jesus—the one who understands all our heartache and loss, our joys and triumphs—trusting that He is working in all our circumstances for our spiritual good, and His glory.

Let’s live today in His presence . . .

He is conforming us to the image of His Son.

Copyright © 2017 Cheryl Elton

The post Romans 8:28: Conforming to Christ appeared first on Cheryl Elton.

One of the most exciting realities of the Christian life is that when we enter into relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we begin a process of transformation. We start thinking, feeling, and viewing things as God does. The Holy Spirit governs this process while teaching us the ways of Christ.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2) 

From the word “transform” in the Greek (metamorphoo), comes the English word “metamorphosis” describing a complete change, like that of a caterpillar into a butterfly.

The biological miracle of metamorphosis continues to amaze scientists. It doesn’t happen instantly, but through various stages. In the case of the butterfly, first there’s the egg, then the caterpillar (or larva), the chrysalis, and finally the butterfly. The contrast between a caterpillar and a butterfly is astonishingly remarkable and beautiful.

This process of metamorphosis wonderfully illustrates the life of a Christian learning to walk in the steps of Christ. By submitting ourselves to Him, our old sinful nature gradually dies as our new nature in Christ is being developed. We literally move from a life of sin, defeat, and rebellion against God to living a Christlike life that glorifies God.

The progression of dying to self and becoming like Christ happens daily as we choose to spend time with Him—to meet Him in that secret place, to acknowledge His presence, to walk and talk with Him—to yield ourselves to the working of the Holy Spirit within us.

Gradually we are transformed into His likeness, becoming more and more like Him, until our transformation is finally complete and perfected at His appearing. On that glorious day we will know as we are known, and receive new bodies like His. Hallelujah!

The depth and closeness of our relationship with Jesus Christ greatly determines how much we will live like Him. In the quietness of His presence He fills our hearts with peace. Gracefully, gradually we gain a new perspective on life—His perspective. And in doing so, He responds to the longings of our hearts, transforming us into being more like Him.

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For more on this topic, see the chapter Daily Transformation in Pathway of Peace: Living in a Growing Relationship with Christ, available on this website.

Copyright © 2015 Cheryl Elton

The post How to Become More Christlike appeared first on Cheryl Elton.