It’s difficult to grasp…but God loved us first. He loved us when we were unlovable, unrepentant, and rebellious. He loved us first by sending His one and only Son, Jesus, to die in our place for our sins. I know many of you can recite John 3:16 from memory, ” For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”…but in I John 3:16 it says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.” God loved us first. He saw through the messiness of our lives to what we could be in Him. He loved us first, regardless and despite of our shortcomings…for like the proverbial caterpillar changing into a beautiful butterfly, He knew what we could become in Him.
Tag: inspirational daily devotional
Psalm 39: 7 ” But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in You.”
What does hope look like to you? In the simplest of terms it means a promise for the future. For without hope, life is just a bleak and discouraging journey as we wait for the end. So where can we find this hope? The Psalms are full of hope so to speak…for we’re told that hope can be found in God. (Psalm 42:5) It’s also found in God’s Word. (Psalm 130:5) Psalm 9:18 reminds us this hope from God will never perish, and that we have this precious hope as an anchor for our lives in times of trouble. (Hebrews 6:19) Do you need some hope today? May the God of hope fill you with hopeful expectation as you look to Him.
Ephesians 6:19 ” Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel.”
So what stops you from sharing Jesus with others? Awkwardness? Apprehension? Do you realize that even the early Church had reservations about telling others the Good News of the Gospel…for in Acts 4:29 the Believers prayed, “Enable Your servants to speak Your Word with great boldness.” So I pray for you today that the Holy Spirit would give you the words to speak to that unbelieving friend, stranger, or relative. And that you would speak with confidence, boldness, and articulation as you share the Gospel Message with them.
Micah 6:8 ” He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Have you ever taken a walk with someone that either walks much faster than you…or lags way behind? Suddenly, the once enjoyable stroll becomes exasperating because you’re out of step with each other. This verse tells us we should walk with God… not running ahead with impatience, nor falling behind in disobedience…but side by side. For when we walk beside the Lord, we are walking in His perfect Will…and in His ultimate plan and purpose for our life.
Acts 10: 34-35 ” Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.’ “
It’s perfectly level at the foot of the Cross. It is even and equal in every respect, for there is no favoritism with God. (Ephesians 6:9) He doesn’t play the partiality card with us…for there’s no different sections around the Cross depending on how “good” we are… no First Class, Second Class, and cargo sections laid out that we must adhere to. It is totally level and totally impartial…for you see, we are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
Acts 20:35 ” In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said; ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ “
Here in Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian Elders, he is urging them to fulfill the ministry laid out before them…to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel Message, and continue to give to the needs of the less fortunate. And Paul’s words still ring true today. As Believers, the Lord demands that we support and serve the widow, orphan, and poor among us. Jesus reminds us in John 12:8 that we will always have the poor among us, and assisting them will always be an urgent, unavoidable necessity. But we’ll also soon discover, by doing this helpful service, we receive something in return… a intangible blessing of God that words cannot express.
Jeremiah 1:5 ” Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”
If you struggle with feelings of worthlessness, invalidation, or emptiness…this Scripture is for you today. Think of this – before you were even born – God knew everything about you and consecrated you to Himself. Isaiah 49:1 says that before you were born the Lord called you, and He set you apart as His very own. (John 10:36) So no matter your past…and no matter how you feel about your life today…God loves you! You are very important to Him, and in His eyes are worth everything.
I John 3:20 ” For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.”
In I Corinthians 4:5 it tells us that God will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. The life of our heart is a hidden life…or so we think. But God knows all, sees all, understands all, and will forgive all if asked. And in doing so we’ll be given a new heart…exchanging our heart of stone for a heart of flesh.
II Chronicles 6:18 ” But will God really dwell on earth with men? The heavens, even the highest heavens cannot contain You. How much less this Temple I have built! “
Ok, I have two very diverse images I want you to think about today. The first is that God is limitless. Isaiah tells us that God sits enthroned above the circle of the earth and stretches out the heavens like a canopy… that His throne is heaven and His footstool is earth. (Isaiah 40:22 & 66:1) While the second image is of God’s very intimate and personal relationship with all Believers…of us actually becoming a dwelling place for His Spirit to live in. (Ephesians 2:22 & I Corinthians 3:16) To the world, this is a total contradiction…but to the Believer, it’s what our faith is built on.
Luke 21:1-4 ” As He looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the Temple Treasury. He also saw a poor widow putting in two very small copper coins. ‘I tell you the truth,’ He said, ‘This poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’ “
You may think you’re stingy with your money…but I know something else of yours that you’re even more tight-fisted with…it’s your time. We all act like our time is more precious than others. And when asked to volunteer, our stock answer usually is, “Sorry, but I just don’t have the time for that.” I can dare say for the most part we are more selfish with our time than with our money. But in II Corinthians 8:12 it talks about giving generously and having the desire and willingness to give what you have, not what you don’t have. We’ve all been given the same amount of hours in the day…but it’s what we do with them that will make a Kingdom difference in this hurting world.
Safetypinlove 