Devotionals

Daily Reading 10-18-16

James 5:7-12 New Living Translation (NLT)

I trust God and believe he has everything under control in his world. Sometimes it feels like certain things are charging toward a very unstable state, but that’s when we must pray the hardest and resist the temptation to get caught up with all the negativity and grumbling.  I have chosen to be a follower of Christ (a follower of the Word) and my “yes” must remain fervent in spite of opposition. Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he/she will keep my Word” (John 14:23). So, I will remain patient, but I do get excited when I think about Christ’s return.  What a celebration that will be! 

Patience and Endurance

7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. 8 You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

9 Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!

10 For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.

12 But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.

Prayer: Father, thank you for your Word that brings encouragement and direction.  Help me to remain patient and courageous while waiting for Jesus to return.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

Daily Reading 10-14-16

2 Timothy 2:14-26 New Living Translation (NLT)

More and more I am reminded that God alone recognizes and knows His people of faith; the Lord knows every heart and every personal story.  Nothing gets past the wisdom of our God and He is in control.  

What do you think would happen if every human being presented himself or herself to God for approval?  I believe the answer is we would know the Truth.  Truth is a person; His name is Jesus and His Word reveals the foundation of God’s love. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could all reach for Truth, turn away from evil, stop engaging in ignorant arguments, so we could pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace?

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Daily Reading 10-13-16

Acts 17:22-34 New Living Translation  (NLT)

Now more than ever before, it is essential that we prepare ourselves with the Word of God so we may share the gospel message with others.  We need to hold onto our faith and our core beliefs in Christ’s work on the cross for the atonement of sin and the redemption of lost souls.  We can know forgiveness of sin and form a relationship with the Living God. We can grow in holiness through the world of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is coming back to judge the world with justice; the world needs to get ready.

The message of Jesus Christ—the resurrected Savior of the World—must be communicated and shared with others.  How we communicate the message is modeled by the Apostle Paul on his trip to Athens.  Paul used examples the people would understand by sharing about the nature of God.  By using examples, he sought to establish common ground so they could discuss and emphasize what they agreed about God.  Then, Paul pointed toward the understanding that humans have a sinful nature and all need to come to repentance and salvation through Christ Jesus the Son of God.

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Daily Reading 10-12-16

Matthew 10:5-15The Message (MSG)

Jesus instructs his disciples to tell people in their own neighborhoods the Kingdom of God is near. Confusion and discouragement was weighing people down; they were waiting for a military King to deliver them.  However, Jesus was not coming as a conquering military King.  He was coming to bring a spiritual Kingdom to earth; a Kingdom not everyone would accept.

For us, Jesus has already begun bringing his Kingdom to earth in the hearts of his people.  When we share the Good News with others and they accept it, we have furthered the Kingdom that is connected to Christ.

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Daily Reading 10-11-16

2 Kings 5:19-27Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Sometimes it seems that for humans one lie can lead to another.  One act of deception can lead to another, because we try to hide the lie.  Being dishonest is a snowball effect and never worth it.  Tell the truth no matter how difficult it may seem.

Our lesson today continues from yesterday’s passage regarding Naaman (the man who was cleansed and healed of leprosy) and Elisha (the prophet of God who was an instrument of God’s healing).  Today, we will add to the mixture of characters Elisha’s servant, Gahazi.  Through a series of greedy choices, Gahazi brought disaster on himself and his family for generations.  

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Daily Reading 10-10-16

2 Kings 5:15-19 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Naaman was a military man who served in the Syrian Army; he also had leprosy.  Naaman went to Israel to see Elisha the prophet of God. Elisha gave Naaman some simple instructions for healing. Upon dipping himself in the Jordan River seven times Naaman was healed of the leprosy. Naaman recognized the power of Israel’s God and proclaimed Him Lord.  Gratitude filled this man’s heart.

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Daily Reading 10-7-16

2 Timothy 2:1-7 New Living Translation (NLT)

How does someone stay strong in Grace?  Grace is God’s unmerited favor extended to us.  We can all be recipients; but we must trust God and be willing to embrace His strength when ours begins to fail.  

As of today, 1.5 million people are under evacuation mandates and 3,500 National Guards have been deployed to help as Hurricane Matthew heads toward the east coast of Florida.  Many of us are praying for God’s protection over every life and to stay strong in the Grace that Christ alone can give.  May we all help others as best we can while being good soldiers in God’s grace.

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Daily Reading 10-6-16

2 Timothy 1:13-14 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy and praises him because he has remained true to the teachings of Christ.  During this time, some other disciples who had been following Jesus fell away from faith in Christ.

Our faith will always be under attack.  Guard your faith in Jesus Christ every day.  Satan wants to rob, steal, and destroy the life Jesus died to bring you; deception is one of the enemy’s favorite weapons.  We cannot allow the world to confuse us or draw us into compromising the foundation of our faith.  Our faith is built on the personhood and work of Jesus Christ to redeem us from sin; a Gift from God.  Keep Jesus Christ your first love!

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Daily Reading 10-5-16

Mark 11:12-14; 20-24  Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Today, we continue to explore the connection of the Word and our faith in Jesus Christ.  Having faith in God with a motive to advance God’s Kingdom is a key to answered prayer.  Faith-motivated prayer is what pleases God.  Jesus uses an example of a fig tree in our reading to remind us about growing faith.  Most of the time figs grow as the leaves grow, but Jesus found no fruit among the leaves.  Our faith can be like the fig tree; showing the potential of bearing fruit, but actually producing nothing for God’s kingdom.

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Daily Reading 10-4-16

1 John 5:1-5 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Did you know you and I reflect our worship of God based on how we love and respect others?  It’s true.  In fact, how we treat the people around us on a day to day basis is the real test of our love for God.  The world cannot teach us how to love.  We gain the victory through our faith in Jesus Christ!  He is the One who teaches us how to victoriously love God and others.

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