From the moment we draw our initial breath, to the last… our lives are but a brief time here on earth. Our bodies, just temporary vessels, that continue to fade and wither more with each passing year. Yes, our mortal life is like a fleeting shadow…passing and momentary. But our spirit within is enduring…everlasting and eternal.
Tag: inspirational daily devotional
Hebrews 3:4 ” For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.”
We’ve spent several days constructing a retaining wall in the back yard…and I don’t mind saying that strenuous manual labor in the oppressive heat of a Illinois Summer is hard! But now that it’s done, it was well worth all the sweat. Genesis 1:1 tells us that, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Where we had cement pavers to build with, God called the universe into being…creating everything we see, smell, and hear out of nothing. For He is the author and architect of it all…bringing into existence that which was not.
Proverbs 13:3 ” He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.”
How many times have you said to yourself, “I wish I hadn’t said that!” Unfortunately, we too often think about what we’ve said after, not before it’s blurted out. And regrettably, that reckless and impulsive comment can become our downfall.
I Corinthians 9:19 “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.”
Paul wasn’t legally, socially, or personally obligated to anyone…but he willingly relinquished his freedom for the sake of winning others to Christ Jesus. And as Believers, we too are free…but that freedom was bought with a heavy price. And in realization of that mind-boggling freedom…it compels us to submission…first, to yielding our will to His… and then, to thinking of others before ourselves. Yes, we are free indeed…but in love, we need to submit one to another.
Psalm 29:11 “The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.”
If you’ve ever gone through a very traumatic time in your life…like me, you were begging the Lord to stop it and give you back the security and wellbeing that was woefully missing in your life. But this Psalm shows us what the Lord gives us first in the mist of that traumatic event…He gives us strength. For many times, we must walk through the situation…one painful step at a time, to find only at the end of the journey, the peace we were so desperately looking for. This Psalm wants us to remember, that with each excruciating step, the Lord is there to come along side to support, sustain, and strengthen our fragile mind, body, and soul. For He will never leave us or forsake us. And soon, that peace will come back into our lives.
Revelation 20:10 ” And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
The ending has already been written…Satan’s doom is inevitable, and he knows it. The Accuser and Slanderer of God is well aware of how his story will end…and it’s not pretty. Satan knows that his time is short and so he’s bound and determined to take as many deceived souls with him into that abyss. Pray then, that people’s eyes and ears will be open to the Truth…the Truth of the living God.
Deuteronomy 2:1-3 ” Then we turned back and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea, as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir. Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.’ “
Moses and the Hebrew children were wandering in the desert…for a long time it says they journeyed, when finally the Lord spoke to Moses…”It’s long enough.” We will all go through seasons in our lives when we walk aimlessly about, asking the Lord, “Am I going in the right direction?” We will all spend time, seemingly without clear direction, waiting for the Lord to say,” It’s long enough.” But it’s during those hard journeys that lessons will be learned…about God and ourselves. Sometimes we need discipline, or humility…sometimes it’s to get our attention or force us to look at our rebellious nature. When you wander around the same hill, the scenery stays the same…use the time to instead change yourself.
Luke 18:14 “…For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
This comes from the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector that Jesus taught to a group of self-righteous, haughty people. It says in verse 10 that both men went up to the Temple to pray. The Pharisee pushed his way up to the front of the crowd in order to be seen and heard by everyone, and once there, proceeded to pray loudly and arrogantly…basically telling God how lucky He was to have him. On the other hand, the Tax Collector stood way back in the courtyard, daring not to even look up to heaven, but rather beating his breast and whispering, “God have mercy on me.” In Jeremiah 31:19 it says, “After I strayed, I repented; after I came to understanding, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.” The road from self-deception to self-awareness requires acknowledgement…admitting I’m just as sinful as those around me and not one bit more righteous.
Deuteronomy 26:18 ” And the Lord has declared this day that you are His people, His treasured possession as He promised, and that you are to keep all His commands.”
Later, in Titus 2:14 it says, “Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people who are His very own, eager to do what is good.” If as a Believer, we could fully grasp just how valued and cherished we are in the Lord’s sight, we would be radically changed. But we can grasp it in a fashion. Jesus Christ died in our place on that Cross…taking upon Himself our sins, in order that we may have a pathway to God. You want to know how precious you are to the Lord? Take a look at His hands and feet…He willingly endured that for you.
Acts 4:12 ” Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
There’s no other name, but Jesus. There’s no other way, but through Him. There’s no other person, thing or place that can give you eternal deliverance from God’s wrath and hell. I Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself as a ransom for all men -” Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the price for your sins… in order that you may have eternal life. Yes, there’s no other name, but Jesus.
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