We live in a very disposable world. There is nothing we own that will last forever…everything will eventually be thrown away. But as the Psalmist proclaims here, there is one thing that will last forever…and His name is the Lord Almighty. For God’s reign is everlasting. His throne is firmly established in justice, and He will reign without ceasing…for eternity.
Tag: inspirational daily devotional
II Corinthians 2: 10-11 ” If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven – if there was anything to forgive – I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”
In Paul’s letter to the Church in Corinth he’s stressing the need for forgiveness. One of Satan’s favorite tricks is to draw us into a attitude of unforgiveness towards others. He exploits our feelings of resentment and anger, and sadly our soul deteriorates as bitterness takes over.
Numbers 10:35 ” Rise up, O Lord! May Your enemies be scattered; may Your foes flee before You.”
Lord, we know of Your intense hatred of idolatry and hypocrisy, and that You will repay Your foes according to what they have done. (Isaiah 59:18) As we look at all the evil in the world, we remember the words of the Psalmist who said, “…as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God.” (Psalm 68:2) So we echo this verse and say, “Rise up, O Lord! May Your actions be immediate and dramatic…may Your enemies be scattered.”
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?
In Christ Jesus…You are a citizen of Heaven.
In this upwardly mobile society, we move about a lot. Sometimes out of necessity, sometimes for pleasure…and there’s times we find ourselves in places that are different, strange, and unlike what we’re accustomed to…and we feel uncomfortable…longing for our home. As Believers, we’re foreigners here on Earth…for our citizenship is in Heaven. (Phil. 3:20) It’s no wonder then that we feel conflicted, uneasy and awkward…we’re just visitors here!
Romans 15: 32 ” So that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed.”
When we come together as God’s family, my spirit and yours are refreshed. (I Cor. 16:18) The Lord has opportunity to minster through you and me to touch others with encouragement when we meet together. He can also move corporately throughout to refresh…exhorting, inspiring, and spurring on. But when you decide not to go to Church or Bible Study or Prayer Group for selfish reasons, you are denying others the blessing of giving and receiving hope and inspiration through your absence. Never believe that you don’t matter in the Family of God, for you are a very important and intricate part of the spiritual community called the Body.
Job 36: 13 ” The godless in heart harbor resentment…”
Every once in a while I come across a person who enjoys holding onto bitterness. They recount to me impressive dates and details of past hurts and offenses. They wear these perceived insults as badges, ever brooding over them…playing them over and over in their minds. Pathetically, their vindictiveness and obsession has literally taken over their entire life. This root of bitterness has taken ahold, and grown into an ugly creature that no one can hardly recognize.
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.
Luke 8: 5-8 ” A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
The farmers are in the fields around us planting grain in hopes of a great harvest this Fall. God’s Word is dispersed just like the farmers planting. His Word may go out, but be treated with no regard and ground under foot by this uncaring World…it may be heard by someone, but because they don’t understand it, Satan will snatch it away, whispering in their ear that they “don’t need that religious garbage.” His Word may be received with great joy by someone, only to lose it quickly and fall away when trouble comes into their life, because they were not rooted in Faith. Finally, His Word may be heard and received, but because of all the pressures and enticements of the World, they will never grow Spiritually, or be fruitful. But there are times when God’s Word will go forth and take root in someone’s life ,where it will grow, and reproduce, and that person will become more and more like Jesus everyday.
Safetypinlove 