As Christians we all have the inclination to become spiritually lazy. We also all go through difficult and trying times when our trust in God and His promises are put to the test. The warning in these verses not only focuses on not forsaking the eternal God but in our role to help guard others from turning away. It says we are to encourage one another daily, and the Greek word for “encourage” here is very interesting. It goes way beyond just comforting or cheering someone up. It’s more like beseeching or counseling… fully intending to produce a particular effect… and with a much stronger force than just asking. This is “get in your face” exhorting because I love you as a brother or sister in Christ and I see something in your life that isn’t right kind of encouragement.
Category: Daily Inspirational Devotional
James 1:4 “Let patience have its perfect work…”
Can you only imagine how difficult it would be if God was as impatient with us as we are with Him? But praise God He’s not! On the contrary, God is patient with our impatience, or as II Peter tells us, “The Lord is long suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish.” The Lord patiently keeps trying to teach us…bringing us back again and again to an area of our lives that need change…but never loses patience with us if we balk or make excuses. For God’s ultimate purpose is His persistent patience… calmly perfecting His work in us.
Jonah 2:1-2 ” From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord God. He said: ‘In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and You listened to my cry.’ “
From the darkest depths of the realm of death called Sheol did Jonah summons God’s aid. And God not only heard him but delivered him. Similarly, Psalm 18 finds David praising God for delivering him from trouble and distress at the hands of his enemies when he called out to His God. Know that no matter what you may be going through today God is near to answer and rescue you…for He hears you and will lift you out of the depths. (Psalm 30:1)
John 3:6-7 ” Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ “
Our birthdays come and go each year, and with them the realization of our ever increasing fragile mortality. But there’s one birthday that can only spark hope, expectation, and confidence of future blessings based on God’s Word and His promises to us…and that’s called being born again. When we receive new spiritual life from God we are reborn and our body which is now corruptible, will someday receive God’s incorruptibility on the day of resurrection. Or as I Peter 1:3-4 tells us, “In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.” So we have not only been given a “new birthday” but we now have living hope which is unchangeable and everlasting.
Genesis 12:1 ” The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’ “
It all boiled down to whether Abram could trust God to keep His promises. Now promise-keeping isn’t a valued human trait now a days, but with God it’s much more than just keeping a promise…it was called a Covenant. In ancient times a covenant was a binding agreement between two parties…but with God it was a promised gift graciously given, not a pledge secured by negotiation, for God is able to fulfill all His promises. God’s binding Covenant with mankind insured that all His promises would be Yes, and Amen. There was no need to question His trustworthiness, or as Psalm 145:13 assures us , “The Lord is faithful to all His promises.” And from this Old Covenant with Abram came the New Covenant, or the covenant of grace…ratified by the shed blood of Christ on the Cross. In other words, God’s promise keeping of redemption for all who believe.
I Corinthians 15:10 ” But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect.”
You are who you are because of Him. “For it’s God Who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13) Who you are today only goes to show the miraculous work God has done in your life. So never disrespect the Lord by taking a self-deprecating and lowly position when speaking of God’s power working through you. Sure, we’re not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought…but anytime we minimize and discount what God has done for us, it’s like throwing away all the love and benevolence He has lavished on us. We are who we are because of God and His grace towards us…and nothing else.
John 16:14 ” He will bring glory to Me by taking what is Mine and making it known to you.”
Jesus is speaking here of the Holy Spirit…”the Spirit of Truth Who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me.” (John 15:26) The plan of redemption centers on Christ, and the Holy Spirit’s plan and purpose is to bring honor and declare openly the manifested glory and preeminence of Jesus. But for many a Christian, Jesus has become merely a figurehead of our religious experience at Church, with the services becoming more like rock concerts or Vegas shows. Sadly, Jesus has been delegated to a nice person to imitate…but think, Jesus was our Savior long before He was just a lofty example to pursue. We must always remember this… Jesus Christ is Salvation itself and the truth and essence of the Gospel Message alone…and anytime we’re straying from this we’re grieving the Holy Spirit.
Romans 3:24 ” …and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Most humans enjoy giving…but many find it hard to accept an unexpected gift. And within this lies the rub and the subject of this verse. The gift of Salvation is just that…a gift. We will never earn or win anything from God through our own efforts. Romans 4:25 explains it like this, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” The forgiveness of our sins and the reconciliation to a Holy God is only based on the atoning sacrificial death of Christ Jesus. And until we get to the point of being destitute and banishing our smug self-sufficiency and pride, there’s not much He can do. For it’s not until we realize that we can only enter the Kingdom of God through the door of brokenness and need. Only then will we fully understand God’s grace.
Psalm 84:11 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
Have you ever waited for the sunrise? Maybe it was at the bedside of a loved one, or it might of been just you by yourself, alone with your fears and anxiety. The dark cold night seems to stretch on forever as you wait for the dawn. But something happens when those first few rays of light come over the horizon…your hope rises just like the sun…and that’s what you’ve been hanging on for…a new day, renewed hope, and God’s fresh compassion. But think about this, the sunrise pales in comparison to the glory of God’s presence, for within Him is the source of all light and energy and someday the sun will no more be your light by day…for the Lord will be your everlasting light. (Isaiah 60:19)
Galatians 6:14 ” May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Paul was trying to explain that the power of the Cross does not lie in the effects of the Cross that we normally dwell on. That’s because our own words, experiences, and testimonies of salvation, sanctification, and healing may be interesting to hear…but hold absolutely no power to save lost souls. It’s only when we speak of the Cross…God’s great point of spiritual power… that the redemptive might of the Cross comes into play in a person’s life. The reality of Jesus Christ and Him crucified will do its own work without the necessity for our embellishment or ramblings. For it’s within the message of the Cross and its power that holds the Truth of God, the blood of Christ Jesus, and the saving grace for all.
Safetypinlove 