When those of the world get caught doing wrong, they’re sorry…sorry that they got caught. And the rest of the world will scorn them for doing so. What’s happened to doing the right thing…to owning up to our mistakes, and with authenticity, making restitution for it?
Tag: christianity
Luke 4:3 ” The devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’ “
Satan was questioning Jesus’ authority. Satan knew who Jesus was – but used intimidating language , wanting Jesus to falter. Never allow Satan to force you to question if you’re saved or not…if God really loves you or not… or if He can heal you or not. For if Satan can get you to waver in your belief and trust even a little, fear and doubt will rush in and take over. And when they do, God’s plan and purpose in your life will be stymied.
James 2:1 ” My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.”
Last night our small group Bible study had quite a lively discussion on discrimination within the Church. We tend to be most comfortable at Church when everyone looks and acts like us. Our prejudice surfaces when someone outside that “mold” ventures into the Sanctuary seeking the Lord. Yes, they may not look like you…they may not have the same values or mores…but they are still a Child of God searching for the truth. We need to extend to them the same love that Jesus did…not judging, but supporting and encouraging as the Holy Spirit moves in their life.
Luke 11:9 ” Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Today marks the 1500 devotional I’ve written over the last 4 1/2 years. What would have happened if I had not asked…not sought…not knocked? God tells us He will supply all our needs…all we have to do is supply the trust. And in additional to that, we need to have the insight to realize what we “want” may not be what we need. As I look back today at how He’s worked in my life with Safetypinlove, I see the plan and purpose He had for me when I first asked, sought, and knocked.
John 18:27 ” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.”
Several Chapters earlier in John, Jesus had rebuked Peter’s declaration of solidarity – even to the point of dying with Jesus, by saying, “Will you really lay down your life for Me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown Me three times.” The moment that rooster crowed, Peter realized just how fickle the human race could be. And as the sound of the crowing continued, Peter began to sink deeply into fear and grief as tears fell…for he profoundly realized – he had disowned the Lord.
Matthew 26: 31 ” Then Jesus told them, ‘ This very night you will all fall away on account of Me, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ “
Jesus wasn’t chastising the Disciples, He was simply speaking the truth, and fulfilling the prophecy spoken of from Zechariah. Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd…the one Who cares for, watches over, and provides for the welfare of His flock…Christian Believers everywhere.
We’ve got to live: Securely in His love
For those of us who have been betrayed by someone who said they loved us, but did the opposite. Who said they would protect and esteem us, yet carried out appalling acts against us. We feel hesitant that the Lord is really trustworthy…we are anxious and uneasy to put our total faith in someone who could, for all we know, suddenly turn and threaten or deceive us. But by immersing ourself in His Word, and reading promises such as Psalm 13:5, which says, “But I trust in Your unfailing love.”…we can grasp with certainty the unending, unchangeable love of the Lord.
Proverbs 26: 28 ” A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.”
Words can cut deep…and if they’re deceitful on top of that, they’re deadly. Why then do we choose to lie? It’s simple, if the truth doesn’t serve us well – we lie. If we want to get back at someone we dislike – we’ll lie. If we want our way – we sweet talk and flatter…saying what we know the other person wants to hear. Lying can become a way of life – where no two stories are ever the same, and we say whatever will get us the results we desire.
Revelation 20: 1-2 ” And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.”
God could have sent the archangel, Michael…who was a mighty warrior. He could have sent the angel, Gabriel…who had announced the birth of Jesus. But instead, He sent someone else. An angel that not only carried the keys to the Abyss, but wrangled the devil, hog-tying him up in a chain and tossing him headlong into the bottomless pit. God didn’t need to send Michael or Gabriel to subdue the devil…He just needed some unknown angel to do the job.
I Chronicles 26: 12 ” These divisions of the Gatekeepers, through their chief men, had duties for ministering in the Temple of the Lord, just as their relatives had.”
Have your parents always been active in Church, but you’ve held back…maybe thinking it’s not for you? Look around your Church and assess the age of those who serve the most. Are they in their 20’s or 30’s…or is it more like 60’s and 70’s, or older? The sad fact about many Churches today is that the vast majority of those ministering and volunteering are the elderly of the Church, not younger adults. In this verse, it speaks of the Gatekeepers being chief men…men who were strong and in the prime of their life…charged with guarding and protecting with self-discipline and integrity. The Church is only as young as the people who serve. And when those precious Saints of the Church are gone…what happens next? Who will fill their shoes? Will you?
Safetypinlove 