There is nothing sadder than a Church that is divided and then splits…it’s a no win situation for everyone. Family and friends are forced to take sides they don’t want to…words are taken out of context…feelings get hurt. The very first thing we must do when Church gossip and problems are getting out of hand is to recognize it as a ploy of the enemy. A divided Church is a weakened Church, is a dying Church. We need to agree in a Spirit of unity to work through conflicts and attitudes in an open, respectful fashion. The Church Body can become healthy again when it is united in mind and sentiment.
Category: Daily Inspirational Devotional
Hebrews 2:1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
Remember with me the very first time you heard the Gospel Message explained to you. At that moment, the gift of Salvation was offered and you accepted. But since that time, when you hear the Gospel Message, does it still stir you with thankfulness and gratitude, or are you apathetic to the words? This scripture tells us to be on guard of falling away from our first love, and becoming a lukewarm Christian.
Daniel 6: 19-20 ” At the first light of dawn, the King got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God , whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?’ “
King Darius had spent a sleepless night after being tricked by his administrators and satraps into throwing Daniel into the lions’ den. The King had tried to rescue Daniel, but his decree stood and couldn’t be repealed. So here he was at first light, yelling for a response from Daniel. Did the King really imagine that Daniel had survived the night…was he hoping beyond hope…or had Daniel’s trust in God been so very evident that King Darius actually believed it was possible?
Revelation 19:6 ” Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like peals of thunder, shouting: ‘Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.’ “
If you’ve ever been to a huge stadium cheering your team on you can recall the deafening roar of the crowd. Now imagine multiplying that noise by thousands upon thousands. That’s what it sounds like in Heaven. A tremendous throng of saints, all singing Hallelujah and praising God together…and all on the winning team!
Psalm 112: 4 ” Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.”
When a fellow Believer is going through suffering and misery, we sometimes look heavenward and ask God, “Why?” We see examples in the Bible of powerful, Godly people who went through very dark times…and again we ask, “Why?” But if you talk to a Believer who’s gone through a traumatic event, in hindsight they will speak of God’s grace and mercy…of how He carried them when they were exhausted and weak…and of how His peace undergirded them to be able to move ahead day by day. Yes, just like Daniel, we will all spend a night in the lions’ den…but take hope, for God is right there beside you in the darkness until the sunrise.
Romans 1:17 ” For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ “
Our Christianity hinges on one little word…faith. We believe what we can not see. We put our trust in someone we’ve never physically met. We have confidence that when we die we’ll have eternal life. Our spiritual walk from beginning to end is entirely based on assurances we’ve read in an ancient book. Yes, Christians are a curious lot…a group of people who stand on faith alone and live by it daily.
Psalm 36: 1-2 ” An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.”
The wicked willfully rebel and oppose the Lord. There is no reverence or even acknowledgment of God in their life. In their eyes, they are a self-made person that needs no other one or thing to make it. In their mind, whatever devious methods it takes to make it to the top, or whoever they must crush in the process, is fair game. Winning is everything in their life…but in the end, sadly they will lose.
Colossians 2: 6-7 ” So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
There comes a time in all Believer’s lives when one has to take a stand. Our journey with Christ Jesus has taught us much… inspiring, edifying, rooting and establishing us in His truth. So now we stand at a crossroads in our life. Do we compromise everything we’ve learned, or stand firm in our faith? Do we give in to the crowd, or be that “weird Jesus lover”? The decision is hard but yet an easy one to make if you’ve already been firmly rooted and established in Christ.
I Corinthians 1:5 ” For in Him you have been enriched in every way – in all your speaking and in all your knowledge.”
Take a moment to remember yourself as a brand new Christian…now look at yourself today. From the beginning, the Lord has been pouring into you divine revelation and understanding. He’s been improving, refining, and endowing you in all aspects in order that you might fight the good fight. And today you stand, having been built up in Christ…strong, and full of Godly wisdom.
II Kings 6:5 ” As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. ‘Oh, my Lord,’ he cried out, ‘it was borrowed!’ “
This story is about the Company of Prophets and Elisha. Their meeting place had become too small, so they were in the process of building themselves something larger. As they were cutting down trees, an axe head flew off and landed in the Jordan River, sinking immediately. The distraught prophet cried out to Elisha, who threw a stick into the water where the axe head had sunk , causing the iron to float. This can only remind us that nothing is impossible with God…if He can make a hunk of iron float like a leaf…He can work a miracle in our lives today.
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