Tag Archives: Devotion

November 19, 2015 · 6:12 AM

Refined Faith

  

We don’t have a choice of whether or not we will go through hard times. What we do have a choice in, however, is how we choose to respond. We can choose to look at hard times as if God is against us or that He’s making us stronger for something down the road. Some times they are a consequence of a past mistake. God rarely takes away consequences when we’ve chosen to disobey. No matter what though, He always offers us grace to endure.

God purifies our faith through hard times. I once watched an episode of “Gold Rush Alaska” on Discovery channel. Parker, who runs his grandfather’s mine, had been working all summer for gold. He took what looked like a lot of gold to the gold refinery. They heated it up and kept removing the dross from the top. In the end, he had a small bar no bigger than his hand. Though it was a small amount, it was worth more because it was pure.

God does that with our faith. He send us through the fire to remove the dross so our faith is pure. It may seem small afterwards, but it is more precious than gold. When I’m going through hard times, I like to read these verses. I hope they help you too.

1. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

Psalms 23:4 NLT

2. My brothers and sisters, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure.

James 1:2-3 GNB

3. Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

1 Peter 4:12-13 MSG

4. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.

Psalms 34:19 NLT

5. But He knows the way that I take [He has concern for it, appreciates, and pays attention to it]. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as refined gold [pure and luminous].

Job 23:10 AMP

6. For You, O God, have proved us; You have tried us as silver is tried, refined, and purified.

Psalm 66:10 AMP

7. The purity of silver and gold is tested by putting them in the fire; The purity of human hearts is tested by giving them a little fame.

Proverbs 27:21 MSG

8. Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honour on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 1:7 GNB

9. I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.

Isaiah 48:10 NLT

10. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Romans 5:3-5 NLT

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November 17, 2015 · 5:41 AM

Quit Being Self-Confident

  
In life, we tell people the way to be successful is to believe in yourself. We say. “Don’t doubt. Have confidence in yourself.” We’ve learned that when Henry Ford was right when he said, “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.” A lot of success in life comes from being self confident. If you believe in yourself, others will too. Self- confidence is contagious and people want to be around others who are confident.

I looked up the definition of self- confident, and bing.com says, “Trusting in one’s ability, qualities, and judgement.” In many areas of life, that’s a good thing. In our Christian life, being self-confident is a bad thing. Salvation isn’t earned by what you do, it’s only through what Jesus has already done. Your abilities have no say on whether you get it or not. It’s only through humbly asking the One who paid the price for your sin to apply His grace to your life.

When it comes to living like a Christian, so many of us think it’s just a matter of will power. We think we can force ourselves to live right. Ben Franklin tried that. He kept a daily journal of his sins so he could focus on them and thereby not do them anymore. What he found was when he corrected one, he ended up doing another. He ended up getting frustrated trying to live a good life on his own.

In Romans 7, Paul wrote about trying to live the Christian life in your own ability. In verses 21 and 24, he summed it up this way, “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (NLT) He couldn’t do it and neither can we. The life we are called to live can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit.

In I Corinthians 10:12, Paul wrote, “Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence” (MSG). We can’t live the life we are called to live in our own abilities, qualities, and judgement. It’s only through God’s, that we can be successful. If we continue to try to live it in our own, we will be miserable like Paul was until we learn to live this life like he did through the Holy Spirit’s ability. Cultivate your God-confidence when it comes to living righteously and you will be successful.

I encourage you to read Romans 8 where Paul goes into more depth about living a Spirit-led life.

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November 13, 2015 · 6:17 AM

Fan The Embers (Video)

That is why I remind you to [a]fan into flame the gracious gift of God, [that inner fire—the special endowment] which is in you through the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination].

II Timothy 1:6 (AMP)

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November 12, 2015 · 6:46 AM

Humble Yourself

The Bible talks a lot about being humble. Most of us don’t like to be humble because we associate it with being insignificant, and our pride can’t have that. Pride tries to keep God out of the equation of our life. It tries to take credit for the things that God does. I think that’s why God detests it so much. He works hard to put the right solutions in our lives at the right time. Somehow, our pride helps us to look past God to help us believe we did it all on our own.

The more we believe we were the causes of the great things in our lives, the less we feel we need God. We relegate Him to nothing more than our emergency call when there’s something we can’t do. God doesn’t want to be just your 9-1-1 call. He wants to be involved in area aspect of your life, but it takes us being humble to let Him have control when there’s no emergency. Humility keeps us in constant relationship with Him. That’s why it so important.

Here are some of my favorite verses on being humble.

1. Humble yourselves, then, under God’s mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time.

1 Peter 5:6 GNB

2. He leads the humble in what is right, and the humble He teaches His way.

Psalm 25:9 AMP

3. He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.

Proverbs 3:34 NIV

4. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

Ephesians 4:2 NLT

5. Happy are those who are humble; they will receive what God has promised!

Matthew 5:5 GNB

6. He has shown you, O mortal, 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.

Micah 6:8 NIV

7. Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility].

Philippians 2:5 AMP

8. Poor and humble people will once again find the happiness which the Lord, the holy God of Israel, gives.

Isaiah 29:19 GNB

9. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV

10. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

James 4:10 NLT

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November 11, 2015 · 6:02 AM

Veteran’s Day

  
When I was a kid, there were Time-Life video commercials about the Vietnam War with the Byrds singing “To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)”. It was the first war I heard about because our involvement had ended just before I was born. TV shows and other commercials often referenced it. I’ve read and watched documentaries on how poorly we treated our vets who returned from that war, and it’s shameful. Many of these vets didn’t choose to go because they were drafted, and yet those who opposed the war took their frustration out on them.

We’ve come a long way since then. While there are still people who oppose military action of any kind, veterans and military are honored and revered throughout the country by most people. While I believe veterans should be honored every day for their service and sacrifice for our country, it’s good to have a day like today set aside just for them. It puts the spotlight on people who don’t seek it, and gives honor to whom honor is due.

Many of us will never know the brotherhood that is developed by standing side by side in battle, trusting your life to a person beside you. We won’t hear most of the heroic and sacrificial acts of so many who gave their life to save others. I’ve been to see the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. I’ve watched as people put papers on it to lift a name from it. I was humbled and silent as I walked beside it reading the names of men and women who gave their all. I’ve been to Arlington National Cemetery and wept as I saw row upon row of white crosses.

In those moments, Jesus’ words in John 15:13 come to mind. He said, “The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them” (GNB). It’s a humbling thing to think there are men and women who count me as a friend and are willing to give their all to protect this nation. To all of them and to all the other veterans, I say, “Thank you.” I am grateful for your service and sacrifice. 

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November 10, 2015 · 5:30 AM

The Law Of God’s Grace

  
One of the things I like to tell people is that the greater the grief, the deeper the sorrow, or the harder the trial, the greater amount of God’s grace you will experience. God gives us grace sufficient for our trials. When Paul was faced with a trial that God wouldn’t remove after much prayer, God spoke to him in II Corinthians 12:9. He said, “My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]” (AMP).

God gives grace, favor, strength, and mercy according to our need. He knows what we are facing and what we need in order to bear the weight of our situation. You’ve heard of Newton’s Third Law, “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” To me, it is the Law of God’s Grace. For every force or trial that comes against you, there is an equal amount of Grace to support you. God gives you enough grace to enable you to stand in times of sorrow and tests.

Paul wrote about this Law of God’s Grace in Ephesians 4:7. He said, “Yet grace (God’s unmerited favor) was given to each of us individually [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ’s [rich and bounteous] gift.” Each of us receive a different portion and type of God’s grace according to our need. It is proportionate to our circumstance and is given as a free gift to us. That grace that God gives is tailor made for us because He knows what we are facing and cares for us.

The greater the trial, the greater the grace. I’ve hit rock bottom in my life, but I’ve never found the bottom of God’s grace. It is deeper than anything you or I will ever face. It will always be sufficient to your need. When you go through deep struggles, you get a glimpse of God’s grace that few people ever do. The longer you endure hardship, the longer you can remain in the crucible, the deeper your knowledge of God will be and the firmer your trust in Him will be. The Law of God’s Grace proves He will not fail you when you need Him most.

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November 6, 2015 · 6:08 AM

Pig-like Commitment (Video)

Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.
Proverbs 16:3 (NLT)

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November 5, 2015 · 6:14 AM

God’s Image

  
One day, there was a religious leader who wanted to trap Jesus. He asked Him which of the commandments was the most important. Jesus knew what was in his heart and replied that we must love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. What the leader wasn’t prepared for was what Jesus said next. He said, “A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself” (NLT). He knew if we could do these two things, we could fulfill the law.

The first one seems easy enough. We are to love a perfect God with everything in us. The second one, that’s equally important, is the tough one because people are imperfect. People do things that make us mad, offend us, hurt us, and drive us nuts. Yet Jesus is telling us to love them with everything in us as much as we love God. Why would He put that pressure on us? Why can’t we just love God and go to Heaven?

I believe God wanted us to learn to look past each other’s faults to see what He sees in them. Genesis 1:27 tells us what to look for. “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Each of us are made in God’s image, even the people you can’t stand. God put His likeness in each one of us and its up to us to learn to see it the way He does.

If you look for the best in others, they will look for the best in you. If you learn to see God’s image in them, you can learn to love them because we can easily love God. It’s tough sometimes to dig through their layers to find it deep inside them, but His image is in there. When we learn to see Him in others, and to help them see His image in themselves, we begin to see the world through different lenses. We begin to know as we are known and also to fulfill that second, but equally important commandment. Look deeper into to others today to find God’s image and fulfill the law of Christ.

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November 4, 2015 · 5:47 AM

Childlike Faith

  
If you are a Christian, you have prayed and asked God for something. You may have asked for healing for a family member, wisdom to resolve a situation, money to pay some bills, or any number of things. Think about some of the things you’ve asked Him for while I tell you a story about two blind men who followed Jesus home in Matthew 9. When He arrived, they went in with Him and asked for their healing again. They had been asking Him the whole way home and weren’t about to stop now.

In verse 28, Jesus asked them, “Do you really believe I can do this?” (MSG) That’s the question we all need to think about when we pray for things. Do we really believe He can and will answer? I remember when I was a kid, I would often ask my mom for something because the percentage of her saying, “Yes” was a lot higher than my dad saying it. When she would say, “Ask your father,” my heart would sink. Even though I would ask him, in my heart, I believed he would say, “No.”

I’m afraid that we approach God many times the same way I would go to my father instead of the way I went to my mother. When I asked her, I had hope and a cheesy smile. When I asked him, there was no smile and my voice was flat. When I think of these blind men, they approached Jesus the way I went to my mom. They were in essence saying, “Pretty please with sugar on top!” They were smiling and begging knowing He would probably say, “Yes.” They were so hopeful, they followed Him right into His house.

Jesus’ answer wasn’t what they expected though. He said, “Become what you believe.”  He told them their answer would be in proportion to their faith in His ability to say, “Yes.” I believe He still answers our prayers that way, and because we approach Him the way I approached my dad for things, we don’t receive. We get what we believe. If we want to start getting answers to prayers, then we are going to have to change how we approach God. We’ve got to believe He will say, “Yes!” We’ve got to approach Him the way we would approach our parent that would say, “Yes.” 

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November 3, 2015 · 5:30 AM

Be Prepared

  
The Boy Scout’s motto is “Be prepared.” It means that you should always be prepared to do what’s necessary to help others. I think it’s a great motto that we as believers should adopt as well. We should always be willing to help others and to do what is necessary, not just what is expedient. You will never become great by doing what’s easy. You have to be willing to pay a price that others won’t. As a Christian, that often comes in loving others as you love yourself.

Timothy was the Apostle Paul’s apprentice in the faith and in ministry. In his second letter to him, Paul gives him advice similar to the Boy Scout’s motto. II Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching” (NLT). His message then and now is to quit waiting for an opportune time to share your faith or help someone out. Do it now!

The time for preparation is before the times are hard. When a disaster is imminent, people rush to the stores and buy what they can in a panic. They may have what you need or they may be sold out. That is not preparation, that’s desperation. Where I live, we know hurricane season is June 1 – November 30. We know that sooner or later one will come. It’s better to be prepared before one enters the Gulf of Mexico. If you wait until it’s too late, you’re going to suffer.

That was Paul’s message to Timothy. He tołd him there was a storm coming. “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.” Since that time was coming, Timothy needed to be prepared to use the Word of God to correct, rebuke, and encourage. With a storm time coming, the time to prepare was now.

For us, there is a time quickly approaching like there was for Timothy. When that time gets here, it says that people will not listen to sound doctrine. We can no longer afford to wait for an opportune time to correct, rebuke, and encourage our family members, co-workers, or friends. We must get an urgency about us like Noah had to get people into the Ark. The night is coming and we need to be prepared. We need to be prepared to preach the Word of God now with our mouths and our lives. Eternity depends on it.

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