Devotionals - Page 174 of 210

Daily Devotional from Pastor Mary 2-22-18

February 21, 2018 by Pastor Mary Haley

February 22, 2018

Romans 3:21-31 New Living Translation (NLT)

God chose for his children to be saved by faith through grace. Why do you think God chose faith as the necessary action for salvation? I believe it is because faith presses us to admit there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. God is holy and we are sinners in need of cleansing and the impartation of the Spirit of Holiness. Faith exalts what God has done for us—taking our sins upon himself—and our willingness to simply receive his gift of forgiveness. Faith calls us into relationship with a loving God who wants us to know the extent to which he would go to bring righteousness to us so he can be with us. Amazing! Thank you, God!

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul is reminding the church in Rome about their need for faith in Jesus Christ. He also challenges the new believers to continue the journey with the Spirit of Holiness; being made into the image of Christ (Love) one day at a time. Don’t stop your journey at the cross. Bow at the cross, then move beyond it to find the richness of grace awaiting to bring you even closer to our Holy and Loving Lord. Ponder that for a moment, because it should excite your soul!

Daily Devotional from Pastor Mary 2-20-18

February 19, 2018 by Pastor Mary Haley

February 20, 2018

1 Peter 3:8-18 New Living Translation (NLT)

There are many, many wonderful lessons in our reading today. We are brought to God through Christ and we are to have his mindset. What is the mindset of Christ? To see ourselves as one household connected to Christ. That means we deeply appreciate and serve one another and keep a clear conscience of how we love each other. There should be no relationships stronger on earth than our spiritual connections in Christ who is Love incarnate and the Head of the Church (believers). We are his Body reaching out to others, moving in synchronicity with the Spirit, to serve in God’s mission of salvation.

Daily Devotional from Pastor Mary 2-19-18

February 19, 2018 by Pastor Mary Haley

February 19, 2018

Ephesians 2:1-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

In the days of Noah, God brought a flood. Noah and his family were in the ark; they were both saved by the water and saved from the water. They were saved by the Spirit from the flooding judgment of Almighty God. And, that water of the Spirit is a picture of baptism that now saves us through a response to God from a clean conscience. Baptism is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:20-21).

Because of the Spirit, we are now made alive with the resurrected Christ. We are baptized into the Spirit of Christ. We can follow his lead for our lives and we can have his strength to live in the love and presence of God so we can do the good things he has planned for us. There is no fear and no judgment; we are saved to Testify!