Jennifer A

Yesterday’s sermon directly connects with today’s devotion. If you missed it, I included the link to it at the bottom of this devotion, and for those of you who are reading directly from the website, you can find it under the Past Sermons.

So, Pastor Mary gave us this reminder: “if your heart is not right, and you are not saturated with God’s Holy Spirit then you have missed the best part of salvation”! Baptism alone does not save us; baptism is merely an invitation for you and me to live in the salvation that Jesus offers. But how you and I walk out our salvation is up to our own free will. If we are going to live a true Christian life, one that is sold out for Jesus, that requires that you and I willingly submit and allow the Holy Spirit to do a continuous work to transform our hearts each and every day. We need the baptismal water of the Holy Spirit flowing through us at all times, and as Pastor Mary said, “you need to be so saturated with the Holy Spirit that no matter where you go God is just leaking out of you in every direction, and that’s what you need to focus on.”

In today’s passage we find the Holy Spirit being poured out onto the Gentiles. Just prior to this moment, in the previous parts of the chapter, we see the Holy Spirit working on Cornelius and Peter separately and how it then brings them together and continues to work. It seems that the Holy Spirit was steadily working on each of their hearts, and with Peter it appears that it was cutting away the hardness of his heart towards those he had been taught to avoid. I believe God used and blessed both Cornelius and Peter, so that earthly barriers could be torn down and His Word could be heard through them by the ministering of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:44-48 (NLT)
The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit

44 Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. 45 The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. 46 For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God.

Then Peter asked, 47 “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” 48 So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterward Cornelius asked him to stay with them for several days.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit. Help us, Lord, to not get in the way of what You want to do in and through us with Your Spirit. Forgive us when we quiet Your Spirit. We want Your Spirit to be alive and active in our daily lives. We call for the saturation of Your Holy Spirit within us. We ask for all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

When you think about your faith, do you connect it to your obedience to God and to His Word?

If you look up the Biblical definition of faith, you will most likely be directed to the first verse of today’s passage from Hebrews 11: “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” So, if you and I are being faithful to God, we are obeying His Word for every aspect of our life. That means our very life should cling to the reality of our hopeful faith in Christ Jesus, and we must submit our souls to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so we can become more disconnected to this temporal realm (earth) and more and more connected to God in our Eternal Home (Heaven).

During yesterday’s sermon, Pastor Mary reminded us that “Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith” and that “our faith is a big deal with God”. She went on to talk about today’s passage and how it outlines for us the Biblical heroes of faith. She reminded us that, “Jesus knows that you and I will need to be Champions of faith”, and so the writer of Hebrews reminds us of what Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah did, because we too need to be ‘Great Examples (or Heroes) of Faith’ and we need to learn from them and our other brothers and sisters within scripture.

Back in 2021 “The Dash” by: Linda Ellis was shared during a Bible study. I included the poem at the end of this devotion. If you’ve never read or heard it, it’s definitely worth the read. “The Dash” is basically the time that God has granted our earthly existence in-between our physical birth and our physical death. When I think about “The Dash” for Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah, I am in awe that almost two millennia after their physical presence, each of them remains to be great examples of thriving faith. Their legacies are all about God and His Kingdom and it has all to do with the fact that each of them was obedient to God and firmly rooted in their faith to Him.

Hebrews 11:1-12 (NLT)
Great Examples of Faith

1Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being the perfect example of faith. Help us to be more and more like You and to continue to learn from our brothers and sisters of faith that You have given to us throughout scripture. Grow us in our obedience to You and to Your Word this new year. We want to be champions of faith for You and to extend our faith in You out to others, so that we can be a part of growing Your Kingdom, because that is the legacy we wish to leave, one that is all about You, Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

The Dash
By: Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on the tombstone
From the beginning…to the end

He noted that first came the date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time
That they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
Know what that little line is worth

For it matters not, how much we own,
The cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile,
Remembering this special dash
Might only last a little while

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash…
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent YOUR dash?

Yesterday we celebrated the greatest gift this earthly realm could ever receive, and that is Christ. We know that through His death and resurrection, we are offered the choice of salvation and eternal forgiveness and life from this dark and sinful world. That alone should have praises rolling off of our mouths at all times.

Today’s psalm begins and ends with “Praise the LORD!”. The psalmist is calling on the attention of heaven and earth, so all of creation, to be included in praising the Lord. In the first part of the psalm, we see praises from above us within the Heavenly realm, and then in the second half we see the earthly realm joining with all of creation to sing praises to the Lord.

In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John sees all of heaven and earth praising the Lord. We must remember that John’s vision is yet to come, and we want to be a part of those who are praising our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; for He is the only Way, Truth, and Life to the Father (John 14:6). “And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: ‘Blessings and honor and glory and power belong to the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.’” (Revelation 5:13)

Psalm 148 (NLT)

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens!
Praise him from the skies!
2 Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all the armies of heaven!
3 Praise him, sun and moon!
Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
4 Praise him, skies above!
Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
5 Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
for he issued his command, and they came into being.
6 He set them in place forever and ever.
His decree will never be revoked.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you creatures of the ocean depths,
8 fire and hail, snow and clouds,
wind and weather that obey him,
9 mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all livestock,
small scurrying animals and birds,
11 kings of the earth and all people,
rulers and judges of the earth,
12 young men and young women,
old men and children.

13 Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
For his name is very great;
his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
14 He has made his people strong,
honoring his faithful ones—
the people of Israel who are close to him.

Praise the Lord!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for coming the first time to save us from our sinful ways. We look forward to when You return for Your Church, and we want to be ready. So, please help us to follow You and the path that You have for us at all times. Quicken our souls to repent when we are not in Oneness with Your Spirit. Help us, Jesus, to be living each moment for eternity, right now. We join with all of Heaven as we lift up this prayer and praise Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Today’s passage is Hannah’s prayer to the Lord which is found in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. As a reminder, Hannah’s song of praise is in response to the Lord’s answer to her many prayers for a child, and her prayer contains great prophetic messianic significance.

Earlier this week, during Bible study, Pastor Mary brought us through Luke 1. When we arrived at “The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise” (v. 46-56), I was overwhelmed by the similarities between Mary and Hannah’s Songs of Praise and their circumstances.

Both, Hannah and Mary, experienced miraculous ways of conception, each mother dedicated their son to the Lord, their sons dedicated their lives to God (even though One is God Incarnate), both women were faithful in their response to the Lord’s blessing in being a vital part of bringing Samuel and Jesus into this world; and thus, we are able to witness God’s purpose and plan revealed through Hannah and Mary.

Some people do not believe that motherhood is as important as other roles. Like, Esther saved God’s people and Deborah was a leader of God’s people, while Hannah and Mary were “simply” mothers. But these two women raised up children who were prepared by their influence to serve God and in doing so their sons fulfilled their divine role in God’s plan to liberate His people.

What can you and I learn from Hannah and Mary? There is so much, but we can start by recognizing that they were both willing servants of God, and we need are called to do the same. Also, as a result of their faithful hearts God blessed them, and He wants to bless us. God was also able to use Hannah and Mary to further His Kingdom, which is what you and I can only pray He is able to do with each of us.

1 Samuel 2:1-10 (NLT)
Hannah’s Prayer of Praise

1Then Hannah prayed:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord!
The Lord has made me strong.
Now I have an answer for my enemies;
I rejoice because you rescued me.

2 No one is holy like the Lord!
There is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.

3 “Stop acting so proud and haughty!
Don’t speak with such arrogance!
For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done;
he will judge your actions.

4 The bow of the mighty is now broken,
and those who stumbled are now strong.

5 Those who were well fed are now starving,
and those who were starving are now full.
The childless woman now has seven children,
and the woman with many children wastes away.

6 The Lord gives both death and life;
he brings some down to the grave but raises others up.

7 The Lord makes some poor and others rich;
he brings some down and lifts others up.

8 He lifts the poor from the dust
and the needy from the garbage dump.
He sets them among princes,
placing them in seats of honor.
For all the earth is the Lord’s,
and he has set the world in order.

9 “He will protect his faithful ones,
but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone.

10 Those who fight against the Lord will be shattered.
He thunders against them from heaven;
the Lord judges throughout the earth.

He gives power to his king;
he increases the strength of his anointed one.”

Prayer: Jesus, please help us to be more faithful and to have servant hearts like Hannah and Mary. Please guide us with Your wisdom and grow us in our hope, peace, joy, and love so that we can have confident trust in Your call on our lives to serve the Kingdom. We ask all of this in Your Holy and Precious Name, Jesus. Amen.

If you joined us for worship yesterday, you may recall that Pastor Mary talked about how as believers we have a dynamic power, the Holy Spirit, working inside of us. She reminded us, that as God’s people, we have no clue just how powerful this dunamis (which is a Greek philosophical concept meaning power, potential, or ability) Spirit, that lives inside of us, truly is at any given moment. When we are operating in oneness with the Holy Spirit, no matter what is going on, we can stay in the abiding presence of Almighty God, and in His presence is the fulness of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23)

In today’s passage, Luke reminds us of just how powerful the Holy Spirit is and how it operated through the Apostles as they were performing many miraculous signs and wonders. We see that God’s people, the believers, were meeting regularly; yet no one dared to join them, but at the same time, more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord, crowds of both men and women (v.12-14). Regardless, of who didn’t dare join to them or why, because there are many theories, the Apostles were still “among the people” while “all the believers were meeting regularly” (v.12), it was through their evangelistic Spirit that “more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord” (v.13), and “crowds came from the villages…and they were all healed” (v.16). It’s amazing that we contain this same Holy Spirit within us.

So, we are all called to evangelism, or to share Jesus with others, and we all do it in different ways. The key is that each of us share the love of Jesus, and the miraculous gift of His Holy Spirit, that we are given through salvation.

One day a lady criticized D.L. Moody, the American evangelist and founder of Moddy Bible Institute, for his methods of evangelism in attempting to win people to the Lord. Moody’s reply was, “I agree with you. I don’t like the way I do it either. Tell me, how do you do it?” The lady replied, “I don’t do it.” Moody retorted, “Then I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.”

Acts 5:12-16 (NLT)
The Apostles Heal Many

12 The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. 14 Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. 15 As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. 16 Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit. Please help us to be more aware of this gift each day, and especially as we are sharing Your message of love with others. We ask for the fruit of Your Spirit to grow more and more within us each day. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

When I gave my life over to Jesus, I initially didn’t realize how unhappy that commitment would make Satan. I had no idea that I stepped into spiritual warfare with Satan. If I am being completely honest, at that time I didn’t even consider Satan. Which is exactly what Satan wants, to be out of sight, out of mind, to fly under the radar, hide in the shadows, cloud our judgement, and work to undermine what God is doing in and through us. When we welcomed Jesus into our hearts and handed our lives over to Him, simultaneous to heaven rejoicing for another heart saved for the Kingdom of God, Satan and his dark realm were plotting to win back our souls.

Do you realize that while God is seeking to shape us into the image of Jesus that Satan is seeking ways to win back our souls…actually, he is doing it right now, because he does it every second of every day. I know that isn’t a warm and fuzzy thought, but as we grow with Jesus through His written Word, we should begin to know that angels, demons, spiritual warfare, and certainly Satan are all real. We also should not fear the supernatural as God’s Word reminds us of Who God is, who we are in Christ Jesus, and how His Holy Spirit guides us to know what Truth is…and that should be our place of warm and fuzzy.

In today’s passage, Paul encourages us to have an active part in our salvation, which should be an ongoing daily process, during every second of every day, we are to be living in a way that pleases God. But let’s be real…many Christians have a lackadaisical attitude, and they tolerate certain sins. Friends, we need to get to the point where we understand that sin is sin. In fact, when we sin, we are in alignment with the unbelieving world and allowing Satan to work in and through us. Paul talks about sexual immorality in today’s passage, and everything he says is true. Let’s remember that anything that interferes with our godly living and growth with the Lord is immoral and sinful. We need to lay down our sins at Jesus’s feet, ask for His forgiveness, let go of immoral living, turn back to Jesus, and allow His wisdom to guide us through the work of the Holy Spirit. Satan has no place working in and through God’s people when we understand our holiness through Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 NLT
Live to Please God

1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. 2 For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

3 God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. 4 Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— 5 not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. 6 Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. 7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. 8 Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being the perfect example for what pleases God. Help us to be more like You. We want to be quick to turn from sin, to be encouraged by Your Truth, to not be indifferent, and to be responsible for our daily walk and growth with You. Please hedge protection, through Your angels, over us from Satan. Guide us with Your wisdom to see spiritual warfare and to turn towards You so that we can allow You to handle it for us. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

In today’s passage, from the book of Revelation, John describes the praises of heaven that will precede the victorious second coming of Christ to earth. We know that Jesus’ first arrival to earth was humble, and His purpose was fulfilled with His sacrificial death on the cross. However, when Jesus returns to earth for the second time, scripture tells us that He will come as a royal King of Heaven to judge the earth.

Today we are looking at the first nine verses of chapter 19 in Revelation. At this time the Great Tribulation will be coming to an end and John is revealing to us what heaven will look like. His vision is that of vast crowds in heaven shouting praises to the Lord. Joining in the celebration will be twenty-four elders and the four living beings, all who fall down and worship God.

In verses 7 – 9 John describes how the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and he goes into detail about the bride. These verses directly connect to what Matthew recorded about the “Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids” in chapter 25. If you recall, five of the bridesmaids were wise and ready for the wedding, while five of them were foolish and not ready. The wedding Jesus is referring to that is that of God’s people who are purely committed by salvation and faith to Him, and God’s people are represented as the bride, and we are symbolically dressed in white to reflect our pure and holy hearts before Christ. I don’t know about you, but I sure want to be prepared as the bride of the Lamb. If you have any questions about how to be prepared for “The Final Judgment” when Jesus’ returns, continue to read through Matthew 25, as Jesus gives us clear instructions in verses 31 – 46.

Revelation 19:1-9 NLT
Songs of Victory in Heaven

1 After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Praise the Lord! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.

2 His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants.”

3 And again their voices rang out: “Praise the Lord!The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!”

4 Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, “Amen! Praise the Lord!”

5 And from the throne came a voice that said, “Praise our God, all his servants, all who fear him, from the least to the greatest.”

6 Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself.

8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.

9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for providing us with clear instructions on how we are to be prepared for Your return. Please guide us each and every day with Your wisdom so that we can make choses that align with Your holiness. We want to be able to rejoice with all of heaven as You return and to not be sleeping. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Today’s devotion is Psalm 117, which is the shortest Psalm, as well as the shortest chapter in the Bible. Everyone is instructed three times, within these two verses, to Praise the LORD. Praise is a part of worship and prayer, a time of communing or connecting with God. The Bible guides us through many different expressions of praise, but each expression directly gives God the honor, glory, and recognition that He deserves as the most high, powerful, faithful, and true loving Creator of our lives.

As I read through these two verses, I kept thinking that this is truly the highest example of “less being more”. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that God gave us two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. Well, our brother Matthew taught us this Truth just prior to teaching us the Lord’s Prayer, he said, “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” (7:11-12) So, we must have grateful hearts and praise God for His enduring faithfulness to us. As His kids, our love for others should mirror His unfailing love for us, so we must use our two ears to listen better to our neighbor, and our one mouth must be used to be more loving like Jesus is to us.

Psalm 117 NLT

1 Praise the Lord, all you nations.
Praise him, all you people of the earth.

2 For his unfailing love for us is powerful;
the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.

Praise the Lord!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your unfailing love. Help us, Lord, to use our spiritual ears to be better listeners to others, and when things that are not of Your Spirit come out of our mouths, please forgive us Lord. We praise Your Holy Name, Jesus, and we want to be more and more like You, so please shed those things that are not of You off from each of us. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

As far back as I can remember, after my sister and I would fight as kids, my Mom would tell us that we were not allowed to go to bed angry at one another. Apparently, her Dad had told her and her siblings the same thing when they were kids, and now as a parent, my Mom was passing along those same words of wisdom to us. Currently, as a parent, I too, encourage my daughter to release anger and to not carry it into tomorrow. God wants us to release anger immediately to Him, as anger is not of or from God, and if we hold onto it, it will breed far worse consequences then what the present moment contains.

I’m not sure if my grandfather knew that what he was passing along to his children, and to the next generations, was the Truth that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. But, in our passage today, we learn that exact Truth from Paul as he urges the entire church, past, present, and future, to stop being angry, “And don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” (v. 26-27).

Paul goes on to urge us, as the children of God, to not be thieves, to not use foul or abusive language, and to not bring sorrow to God by how we live. You might say that you don’t do any of these things; and maybe you don’t, but when you compare your words, actions, inactions, thoughts, and the deepest places of your heart from just yesterday, are you able to say that you walked, talked, thought, and acted exactly as Jesus? I can honestly tell you that my yesterday would not have been Jesus’s yesterday. So, what do we do in this case?

Well, Paul goes on to tell us that we are to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.” (v. 31) We must remember that anything that is not of God, is of Satan, who is evil. Sin is evil! So, when our words, actions, inactions, thoughts, and hearts are sinful…we are in a place of evil behavior and we must turn back to Jesus, repent, and move forward by living out His Truth. Paul continues by telling us to “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (v. 32)

Ephesians 4:25-32 (NLT)

25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your tender heart and for Your sacrifice that allows for our sins to be forgiven. Give us Your heart, Lord, for others, so that we can be more and more like You each day. Help us to release anger and our sins to You, so that we can be more forgiving and have a kinder heart. We love You, Jesus, and ask all of this in Your Name. Amen.

When Peter’s name is mentioned, most of us remember him for denying Jesus three times during the night of Jesus’ trial and just before His crucifixion. But, prior to that moment and following Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus took great care of ensuring that Peter understood that he was eternally loved beyond measure and fully forgiven.

If you recall in Matthew 16, just before Jesus Predicts His Death, He asks His disciples, ‘who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ (v.13) If we move forward a few verses, “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘You are blessed, Simon, son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all of the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.’” (v. 16-19)

God used Matthew to pen this important moment of Peter’s Declaration about Jesus so that we would not forget who Jesus declared Peter to be… the rock upon whom He would build His Church. So, as we read Peter’s words today, let us keep in mind that Jesus’ eternal love for Peter is no different than His eternal love for you and me. Jesus wants to build us up as His Church so that we can go out and share His eternal loving message of salvation. Jesus seeks to build His Kingdom through us, but it also requires that you and I live godly lives that reflect our committed faith to Him so that His qualities can shine through the works that He leads us to do.

In Peter’s second letter, which was written to the persecuted Christians at the time, as well as to you and me now, Peter reminds ALL believers of his presence with Jesus during His transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13). Peter wants believers to understand the power of Christ which he miraculously witnessed in-person. He also wants believers to connect the Old Testament prophecies of Truth to the New Testament Truth of Jesus, the Messiah, and His return. Today’s passage begins with Jesus’ transfiguration, which took place about 6 days after Peter’s declaration that Jesus was the Messiah. Image, Jesus invites you and me up a mountain and He begins to change, His face shines like the sun, His clothes become white as light, and we hear directly from God (Matt 17:2-5). There is no question, that you and me, would fall down on our faces in pure reverence of His holiness. Peter explains this miracle, and much more, in today’s passage:

2 Peter 1:16-21 NLT

16 For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes 17 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” 18 We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.

19 Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, 21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your Word which brings us Truth through our Biblical brothers and sisters. Help us, Jesus, to be lamps that shine Your Truth for others to see within this dark world. Keep us rooted in Your Word, growing ever so closer to You. Allow us to be filled with joy, each day, for our salvation and for the daily miracles that You provide to us. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.