Prudence…a word you seldom hear now a days. It’s definition means to have carefulness and foresight. If before we spoke, we would employ both these concepts mentally…I dare say we would not be blurting out things we wish we hadn’t said.
Category: Daily Inspirational Devotional
My wish for you this Christmas Season
Just think, you’re here not by chance, but by God’s choosing. His hand formed you and made you the person you are. He compares you to no one else – you are one of a kind. You lack nothing that His grace can’t give you. He has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill His special purpose for this generation.
Written by Roy Lessin, Co-founder of DaySpring
Matthew 1: 20-21 ” An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joeeph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.’ “
When the angel came to Mary she had questions, but in the end accepted the unfathomable. With Joseph though, it wasn’t that easy. The very human feelings of hurt and rejection were evident in his decision to divorce Mary quietly. And it certainly was within the Law to dismiss her from the bond of marriage with a Certificate of Divorce for her perceived conduct. But before this could happen, the angel visited Joseph and convinced him that what Mary had told him was true…she in fact had not been unfaithful. The Lord will sometimes give us a promise so wonderful and far-fetched that we can’t put our heads around it either…it’s at that point we will make the decision to either believe God or reject it based on our shallow emotions.
Isaiah 9:6 ” For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…
All of humanity was lost…floundering in a sea of sin…sinking to never rise again. When a baby was brought forth…God bestowing this precious gift on all. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son – Jesus Christ – to bridge the chasm between God and man…and bring eternal life to a dying world.
Micah 5:2 ” But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be Ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
700 years later, in a quiet unpretentious little town, the Messiah was born. There was no fanfare, no pomp and pageantry…just a barn and a baby. The Lord would rather use the humble…the plain and ordinary to do His best work. Common, simple people are His very best instrument for some of His most wonderful miracles. Don’t ever dismiss yourself as someone God could never use…for in fact, you are exactly who He wants.
Hebrews 12:14 ” Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
We are to live in harmony with all. Not with just those we like…not with those who only believe as we do. No, we are to live in peaceful co-existence with everyone. Jesus came preaching the Gospel of Peace, not that of elitism, isolation, or hatred. It’s a tough road though to love your neighbor as yourself…for many around us are unlovable. That’s why the second part of this verse is so important. We may not be able to change the unlovable around us, but we can change ourselves and how we interact with them. Sanctification or holiness is the ongoing process of becoming more like Christ Jesus everyday…of looking at all people – even the unlovable- through His eyes.
Luke 1:38 ” ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ “
The Lord has called you and laid on your heart a promise, but like Mary, you can’t understand how this could possibly happen. Like Mary, you have questions…but also like her, God will faithfully answer them all in due time. And in the end, like Mary, we will need to put our complete faith and trust in God, knowing that what He has placed on our heart will come about. Today you too are pregnant… you’re pregnant with a promise…a promise that’s about to come full-term.
Psalm 10:14 ” But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; You consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.”
The Lord understands the misery and sorrow you may feel today. He wants to take that pain from you…placing it in His all-powerful hands and off your shoulders. If burdens are weighing you down today…entrust yourself to God’s mercy and fall upon His grace.
John 15:26 ” When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth Who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me.”
Right before Jesus left this earth, He designated the Holy Spirit as the Paraclete…another of equal quality in His place. The Holy Spirit is called a Paraclete because He undertakes Christ’s office here while Christ is away from the world. Bearing witness to the absolute, ultimate, and saving truth of Jesus, the Holy Spirit gently nudges us ever in the right direction.
Isaiah 26:12 ” Lord, You establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished You have done for us.”
Make no mistake about it…as a Believer, the deep sense of well-being you feel today has been brought about by a loving and merciful Heavenly Father. And the next time before you pat yourself on the back for the great achievement you’ve just done…remember, that it’s only through Him that you’ve realized this success.
Safetypinlove 