Devotional Blog
God’s love for sinners
God’s ways are so far above our ways!
Isa 55:9
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
He
saves even the worst of sinners. Zacchaeus was a despised person. He
collected taxes for the Romans which allowed him to collect more than
required and keep for himself the surplus. But Jesus’ love for him
overcame society’s disdain.
Lk 19:2,7
A man was there by the
name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. All the
people saw this and began to mutter, “He (Jesus) has gone to be the
guest of a ‘sinner.’
Let’s pray for folks to accept our
invitations to “come and see” what Jesus does. Let’s be deeply aware of
God’s love for sinners.
1 Tim 1:15b
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I (Paul) am the worst.
Let’s keep praying for Christlike love and boldness to reach the lost!
Lk 19:10
The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.
Ask the Lord of the Harvest
God blesses
us with many ways to sow gospel seeds. At this point, we won’t know the
type of soil we are sowing upon but we do know the Lord of the harvest
knows how to prepare the soil. So let’s pray for people who will become
good soil. I believe God is already tilling the soil, removing rocks and
thorns.
Lk 10:2
He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but
the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send
out workers into his harvest field.
We are God’s workers. We sow,
we harvest, but God reaps, giving the increase. We love and obey God by
sharing the Gospel as His Spirit empowers us!
1 Jn 5:14-15
This
is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything
according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears
us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.
Let’s pray with confidence that God will use us to make disciples. God died so folks will be saved!
For it by grace you have been saved...
God’s grace
is amazing! We are saved by His grace! When we witness to others His
grace empowers us. When we forgive others, it’s by His grace. When we
are provided for, it’s by His grace. When God directs us, it’s His
grace. When God strengthens us in our inadequacy, it’s His grace. When
we are healed, it’s His grace. His grace transforms us into His
likeness. His grace is endless!
Eph 2:4b-9
…it is by grace you
have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with
him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming
ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in
his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been
saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God–not by works, so that no one can boast.
Amazing grace how sweet the sound! Thank God for empowering us to live rightly.
Maranatha! May His grace be with us!
God will make a way!
Praise the Lord!
Ps 34:1-3
I
will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.
God is
so good! He loves us. He’s saved us! He’s given us His Spirit to lead
and guide us. He provides a way for an abundant life. He provides for
all of our needs. He’s preparing an eternal place for us to live. Will
His goodness ever end? No!
1 Chr 16:34
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Let’s
praise the Lord today. Although we’re separated by distance, we can
still lift our praises—As One—today. When we do, the heavens open and
God is glorified. Let’s praise Him and see God help us with people to
pray for and to attend our Alpha meetings. Let’s make disciples
together!
God will make a way!
2 Chr 20:22
As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes… and they (the enemy) were defeated.
Like a fire in my heart.
It’s cold outside but I pray there’s fire in our hearts.
Jeremiah 20:9b, 13
…his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.
Sing to the LORD!
Give praise to the LORD!
He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.
We have an awesome opportunity to flame the fire that is in us to touch and bless others! God has given us so much.
2 Tim 1:6
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
Let’s
not let our heart grow cold toward making disciples. Let’s keep reading
the Word and praying for the lost to hear the truth of God’s blazing
love for them and for us to have a bold and white hot passion to reach
and teach folks about Jesus.
Mt 28:19a, 20b
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Yes! God will be with us always. His fire is in our hearts!
"...If necessary use words."
God loves us
and wants us to live abundantly. Jesus became one of us to die for and
conquer sin so we could live in His kingdom, a realm of commanded
blessing.
Luke 4:43
But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”
Let’s honor God and live in His realm,not the sinful realm of eventual destruction.
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
By
God’s grace let’s remain in the realm of commanded blessings by doing
everything Jesus commands. Then we will, as Jesus did, preach to others
how to enter the realm of commanded blessings! Like St. Francis of
Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use words.”
Luke 9:1-2
When
Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority
to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to
preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
If God's not in it...
“If you can explain it, God didn’t do it.”
-Warren Wiersbe, a former DTS professor and prolific Bible author.
______
All blessings flow from God and He does not share His glory with another.
“Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.”
Abram learned this hard lesson: evidenced by his response to the King of Sodom after rescuing his nephew Lot.
Genesis 14:22-24a
But
Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD,
God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I
will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of
a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ I
will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that
belongs to the men who went with me.”
This
shows Abram's commitment to giving glory to God rather than man.
Despite the victory over the kings and the offer of wealth from the king
of Sodom, Abram chooses integrity over material gain, ensuring that
only God receives the credit for his blessings. Let this be a reminder
for us to live lives that reflect our faith, acknowledging that all we
have comes from God, not from human accolades or wealth. Let's praise
Him, from Whom all blessings truly flow.
If God’s not in it—run away!
We prepare for war by spending time with God
How great is our God? He’s the King of kings and Lord of lords. He has all authority!
Rev 19:16
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
As
God’s children we live in His Kingdom, the realm of commanded
blessings. Still we can be deceived and leave the realm of commanded
blessings. We do this when we sin and our faith lapses.
Jam 1:15
Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Let’s
make all effort by God’s grace to stay in the Kingdom. We prepare for
this daily spiritual war with our daily time with God.
Jesus motivates us to cherish the Kingdom.
Mt 13:44
The
kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found
it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and
bought that field.
So let’s thank God for the Cross allowing us into the Kingdom. Let’s daily prepare to resist the devil and live abundantly!
Your will be done...
Jesus first taught His disciples to pray for God’s kingdom to manifest on earth just like it does in heaven.
Mt 6:9-10
“This,
then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your
name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven.’”
The Kingdom of God is a realm of commanded blessings so
God wants us to have heaven’s blessings. He wants us to be worry-free
because we know our loving heavenly Father has only good for us.
2 Cor 9:8
And
God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at
all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Let’s
pray today for God’s will to be done in us. Let’s be faithful knowing
we will not lack if we stay in the Kingdom realm. We will stay if we are
patient and believe in the goodness of God!
2 Pt 1:3
His
divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness
through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and
goodness.
Walking with Jesus
May your feet walk in holiness and your steps be ordered by the Lord today!
Walking
in holiness means to live according to the purposes of God. It means
our sin nature is dead and our new nature in Christ, led by the Spirit,
lives for God’s will.
1 Pt 2:24a
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.
Paul amplifies this truth by writing that followers of Christ cannot live according to the sinful nature.
Rom 8:9
You,
however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if
the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit
of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
Since we are God’s
children let’s walk in holiness today and live abundantly. Let’s stop
wrestling with God and yield to His Lordship in our lives.
Rom 8:13b-14
…
If by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will
live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
How does the fear of the Lord relate to commanded blessings?
By God’s
grace we will continue seeking the Lord and living in His kingdom as
2025 gets underway. We will live in the fear of the Lord.
Acts 9:31b
(The church) was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
The fear of the Lord is a childlike trust in God knowing He loves us and knowing we must obey Him.
The wise king Solomon wrote the following:
Eccl 12:13-14
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
Solomon reminds us to wholeheartedly follow God or we will fail and life will be empty and meaningless.
Let’s
live life to the full, expecting blessings of love, joy, and peace by
fearing God and living in the realm of commanded blessing.
Jn 10:10b
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Love Jesus and seek the Kingdom
Let’s keep
loving Jesus and seek first God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom is a realm of
commanded blessing. When God is our priority then He promises to meet
our needs. We don’t have to worry about food, clothing, or any
necessities because God will provide.
Mt 6:34
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Let’s
remember the widow’s oil as told in 2 Kings 4:1-7. She and her family
revered the Lord but were in debt. Her sons were about to be enslaved to
satisfy the debt. But God!
The prophet Elisha asked her to trust
God and give him the little oil they had. Then God keep multiplying the
oil until they had enough to pay off the debt.
2 Kg 4:7
…and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
Let’s
seek God’s kingdom first each and every day because King Jesus is all
we need because He rules! Thank you, Jesus, for loving kindness!
So what is truth?
Unfortunately,
our culture is filled with deception and half-truths. So what is truth?
It’s a principle that shapes our lives and relationships.
Truth flows from Jesus!
Jn 14:6
Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
Through Jesus, we can discover absolute truth that leads to eternal life.
Truth sets us free!
Jn 8:32
Jesus declared, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Truth brings clarity, freedom, and peace to our hearts.
We can live in truth!
Eph 4:25
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor.
Living in truth builds trust and close, loving relationships.
Truth is found in Scripture!
Ps 119:160
All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.
Every word in Scripture is reliable. It provides guidance and wisdom for all aspects of our lives.
May we live in Truth. We will prosper. Folks will see Jesus. We will make disciples for God’s glory!
If we love like Jesus...
I’m looking
forward to open doors in 2025. I pray for new opportunities to give Him
glory. I pray for multiplied disciple-making and an abundant life
realized for all.
1 Cor 10:31
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Jn 10:10b
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Accordingly, let’s keep in mind the principle of sowing and reaping!
Gal 6:7b
A man reaps what he sows.
So
if we love like Jesus then we will know love. We will give and have
plenty. We will ask and it will be given to us. We will not judge and we
will receive mercy.
Mt 7:11
If you, then, though you are
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will
your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Let’s ask for more of His Spirit and sow His love so we can reap a life of love!
Gal 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.