The fundamental question here is where are you placing your trust today? If it’s in yourself, or the things of the world… you’re headed for disappointment. For you can’t place your confidence in shifting sand and expect to come out all right. But maybe you’re in a difficult place right now and declaring God’s sovereignty over your life is near impossible. May I remind you of Micah 7:8, “Don’t gloat over me, my enemy! Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.” Our trust in God isn’t dependent on the situation we’re in, the severity of the circumstances, or even on how we feel in the moment. Our faith in God is activated, increased, and strengthened every time we decree and affirm His Name.
Tag: daily devotional blog
James 2:14-16 ” What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? “
All of us have been guilty of this. We encounter someone with a urgent physical need…we can’t help but see it and understand the gravity. But what do we do? We walk away, but not before sanctimoniously announcing, “I’ll pray for you.” I can almost see Jesus shaking His head in disappointment. We have blown a chance to show His love through our good deeds. For our faith manifests itself in these good works…demonstrating to the person we’re helping in very tangible ways that God loves them. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus…and by our actions His caring is shown to others.
Amos 5:14-15 ” Seek good not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say He is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.”
The Nation of Israel was enjoying a time of prosperity…but with this great prosperity came great division between the rich and poor. And because of it, the people became self-reliant, prideful, and walked away from God. Amos’s message to the people was that of denouncing their privileged life-style that exploited the poor, and calling them to repentance. He warned them of the consequences of their complacency in not doing what was morally right and just for all. Amos was a contemporary of the Prophet Isaiah who wrote in Isaiah 1:17, “Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of fatherless, plead the case of the widow.”
I Corinthians 10:24 ” Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.”
Paul gives the reason of why we shouldn’t be self-seeking a little further down in this Chapter. In verse 33 he writes, “For I’m not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” When I’m trying to further my own interests and desires, my attention is on myself, not others. Thus what happens is my selfishness blinds me to the needs of people around me. After 40 years in the Nursing profession, one thing I always taught was that a good Nurse filled the needs of her patients…but an excellent Nurse looked for and anticipated her patient’s needs with skilled foresight. It’s easy to look out for our own interests…we’re pretty much hard-wired to do that. But what’s more difficult is to set down our own agenda to build up our fellow man.
Hebrews 9:27-28 ” Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.”
Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross wasn’t for a particular group of people, a certain color of skin, or even dependent on a personal relationship with Him or not. The well known phrase, “Once for all” is repeated throughout the Bible to show that Jesus came to the earth to bear our sins and die one single time for the whole of mankind. (I Peter 3:18 & Hebrews 7:27 & Romans 6:10) And one day He will come again, not to repeat His past actions, for that is unnecessary, but to declare the now…for He is the Lord of the new not the old.
Matthew 8:21-22 ” Another disciple said to Him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus told him, ‘Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’ “
At first glance, you could take Jesus’ comments as insensitive and heartless. But they were candid and direct. “Follow Me, let those who have no hope, bury him who has died without eternal life.” This disciple of Jesus wanted it both ways though. “I’ll follow You Jesus, but first…” How many times have we bargained with the Lord? “I’ll follow You Jesus, but before I do… I want to accomplish this first, or obtain this coveted item first, or dabble in this questionable area first.” In times past, they used to call this sowing your wild oats…or putting your own selfish desires ahead of anyone else, including the Lord. But when Jesus said, “Follow Me.” to the disciple there was no negotiating.
Psalm 83:1-3 ” O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still. See how Your enemies are astir, how Your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against Your people; they plot against those You cherish.”
Psalm 83 is one of five Psalms that are entitled Imprecatory Psalms. So what’s imprecation? It involves petitioning God’s wrath upon the wicked. They were written with righteous indignation at what was seen as defilement and blasphemy of God’s reputation and actions. They came from that deep place of aroused anger at seeing God’s name desecrated and everything He stands for ridiculed and mocked. They were written not out of spite or wishing for revenge, but to verbally hand the entire issue over for God to deal with…for the battle is not ours but God’s, (I Samuel 17:47 & II Chronicles 20:15) and it’s His to judge at the appointed time.
Romans 11:33 ” Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! “
In Solomon’s attempt to comprehend wisdom, he finally had to admit that neither he nor any other man could completely understand divine wisdom and understanding. (Ecclesiastes 8:17) That’s because God’s ways are incomprehensible…His understanding unfathomable…His infinite skill, insight, and purity beyond what our human brain can take in. But that shouldn’t in anyway discourage or dishearten us today. Remember back to when you were very young and had absolute trust in your parents. Your confidence in them didn’t depend on your understanding every situation, but rather on your faith that they would love and take care for you. We don’t have to know God’s ways…we just need to trust and have faith that He will direct us on the right path.
Lamentations 3:17-22 ” I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, ‘My splendor is gone and all that I hoped from the Lord.’ I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.”
In the Book of Lamentations, Jeremiah gives a first-hand, eye witness account of the destruction of Jerusalem. And as the days wear on in chaos and ruin…Jeremiah becomes more and more despondent at the horrific sights, sounds, and smells of his much-loved city. The deep sorrow within him is overwhelming as he watches Jerusalem brought to its knees. But somehow Jeremiah is able to look beyond all the death and devastation around him and put his eyes on God. He centers himself on the things he knows about God…that His love never fails, that God is merciful and kind, and that his hope only comes from Him. Today, take your focus off the disruption and conflict around you and focus instead on God…or as Psalm 130:7 tells us, “Put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love…”
Titus 3:1-2 ” Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”
Titus was not only a preacher but a troubleshooter,,,particularly skilled in straightening out problems in the Churches in Corinth, Ephesus, and later Crete. In these Churches he was met with great opposition and insubordination from opposing Jewish groups, but in this letter, Paul is reminding him that God is a God of order, and within that order is a chain of command of divinely placed people who are invested with power to rule. It’s called authority, and the Church was called to submit to it. As civil unrest and defiance continues to plague America, and the idea of yielding oneself to authority is considered a sign of weakness… what really caught my eye in these verses was the meaning of the word humility. The Greek word here means a condition of the mind and heart which demonstrates gentleness, not in weakness but in power…in other words, in strength of character. This true humility in submission to authority is getting angry at the right time, in the right measure, and for the right reason.
Safetypinlove 