Devotions - Prayer

Reflect His Image

By Bob / August 24, 2024

God crafted us to reflect His image, not create our own.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14

Living fully in the knowledge that we are one of God’s wondrous works is our greatest praise to Him!

It’s in becoming our truest, God-created selves, reflecting His image in the gifts and wiring He’s given us, that we’ll connect most deeply with our Creator and with others.

John 7:15 “And the Jews marveled, saying, How does he know so much when he has not been trained?” 16 So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me.
Jesus received His wisdom and knowledge by direct revelation from the Spirit of God rather than by the teachings of man.
• Jesus had been learning, but not through man.
• The Holy Spirit was His teacher.

Jesus had to be taught the things of God.
Jesus’ spirit man was 100% God and had all of the wisdom and understanding of God in it, but it was manifest in natural flesh. It wasn’t sinful flesh but it was flesh, nonetheless, and had to be educated.

Jesus was not taught by man, but He was taught by the direct revelation of the Holy Spirit. The knowledge was within Him but it had to be drawn out.

 

At the new birth, a born-again man’s spirit “is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Col. 3:10).
“We have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16), and “an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (1 Jn. 2:20).
All of these things are a reality in our spiritual man. However, just as Jesus had to be taught, so we must draw this wisdom and knowledge out of our spirits and renew our minds with it (Rom. 12:2).
This is one of the main ministries of the Holy Spirit to the believer.

Through the new birth, we have received the mind of Christ in our spirit man and are in the process of growing in wisdom by drawing this knowledge out of our spirits and renewing (or reprogramming) our minds. This wisdom has to be drawn out by faith, time spent in the Word, and prayer.

A changed life convinces people of Christ’s power.

One of our greatest testimonies is the difference others see in our life and attitudes since we have believed in Christ.

Lord,  I long to walk in freedom and to become the person you intended me to be when You wove me together. Help me be authentic, instead of shape-shifting to please others or to attain an impossible image. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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HOW DOES GOD USE PAIN

By Bob / August 16, 2024

“I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things” (Isa 45:7).

God will use pain in order to create a love relationship with His creation.

This statement may challenge your theology. However, consider that God allowed Jesus to experience incredible pain in order to create an opportunity to have a relationship with His creation.

Consider how Jesus created a relationship with Paul. He blinded him and used a crisis in his life in order to bring him into a relationship with him and use him for God’s purposes.

Consider how God recruited Jonah for the mission He had for him.
This is not God’s first choice for His creation. Romans 2:4 reveals that God’s preference is to show mercy and kindness: “Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?”

-God loves people more than He loves their comfort.
-He invests a great deal into mankind.
-He desires relationship with us and will go to great lengths to create such a relationship in order for us to receive the rewards and inheritance He has for us.  A relationship that is motivated now by love and devotion instead of pain.
This is where God desires us to be. Another way of saying this is we are no longer seeking His hand. We are seeking Him. We want to know God personally.
Obedience will not last when the motivation is only the removal of our pain.

God often causes delays in our lives that we cannot understand. Sometimes it seems our obedience is not getting rewarded. Jesus said He learned obedience through the things He suffered (see Heb. 5:8). Imagine that – Jesus having to learn obedience. What does that say for you and me?

Sometimes God’s delays are simply because He wants more glory in the situation, more recognition, more Christ-likeness in you and me through greater patience and obedience.

Faint not, for the promise may yet come.  Amen

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THE DIFFICULT ROAD

By Bob / August 12, 2024

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13a).

 

At times the road before me seems long, steep and challenging. I can feel lost. Uncertain. Afraid. Sometimes I’m not sure I have the strength for the journey.

It’s in those times that God wants me to remember I’m not traveling alone. He is my ever-present guide.  He knows where the road leads. He can see what lies ahead. And that’s not all.

God also knows my concerns. He knows what I feel. The pain I cannot explain to someone else … God knows. The fear of the unknown—He knows.  And He offers me Himself.

Perhaps you feel overwhelmed today. You may be experiencing some sadness, loss or worry. You may find that God has called you to a difficult path. “Surely,” you think, “God has an easier road for me to travel.”

The truth is, we aren’t wise enough to assume another path would be best for us.

*Maybe the easier road won’t make us into the person God intends us to be.

*Perhaps the difficult road is a path of grace—protecting us from the worst.

*Maybe this road is about learning something new about God or ourselves.

*Could it be the difficult journey is the path that prepares us for a greater purpose or a greater faith in God?

 

Out of all the possible paths, God knows the best path.

Our key verse reminds us, “His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.”

**Because of this, we can take the path God has laid out for us today. We can trust, and not fear, in His infinite wisdom and love. And we can be certain that God will never lead us down the wrong road.

 

Do not be troubled by these times of perplexity. They are normal experiences coming to all in the life of faith.
Lord, because You will never lead me down the wrong road, I can trust You when I need to make decisions about my family, my career, and my health. Thank You for Your wisdom and guidance. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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The Power of Encouragement

By Bob / August 11, 2024

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, BUT Encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Let’s get excited about coming up with creative ways to build others up!

God instructs us to live in community — the dictionary says community is “a unified body of individuals”.  We are united in Jesus Christ. The body of Christ supports and encourages us – and we in turn, support and encourage others – especially during our most difficult times. God builds our faith in community as we journey together and bear one another burdens.

 

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”Joshua 1:9
Like God did with Joshua  and like He does with us, WE can come alongside each other in some of life’s hardest challenges and highest peaks and say, “Don’t give up, you can do it. I’ll be with you and I will help you.”

 

Isn’t it amazing that when we take our eyes off our fears, our doubts, and our struggles and focus on someone else’s needs, we somehow forget our own.
**In believing the power of God’s promises for others, our confidence in His promises for us seems to grow as well.
**** That is the power of encouragement!

Colossians 2: 2 My(Paul)) goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

 

1 Thes. 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Lord, thank You for the power of Your words that give me courage to become who You’ve created me to be – to go to places You’re calling me to go and climb spiritual heights that are out of my reach without Your help. Give me Your encouragement and help me encourage someone else today. In Jesus Name Amen

2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

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Pride That Refuses To Forgive

By Bob / August 9, 2024

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:24-25).

What Jesus is saying is, “The great hindrance to having faith in God is pride, the pride that refuses to forgive (an inflated sense of one’s personal status or accomplishments).

*You have the power to have that removed if, when you stand and pray, you will forgive those who have offended you.” Because the only thing that stops us from forgiving one another is pride.

We feel justified in wanting others to forgive us but also in feeling that we have to exact a price for the hurt they have caused us. So, in many ways—subtle, or direct and open—we insist that we will not forgive, that our offenders have to pay for what they have done to us. Somehow, we are going to make them crawl, make them beg or plead for forgiveness.

“And that,” Jesus says, “is a great mountain that needs to be removed, for it is blocking the flow of the life of God to your faith.” So when you stand and pray, life will flow from God when you are able to recognize that you, too, need forgiveness. God has forgiven you. God has offered it freely to you; give it just as freely to the one who has offended you.



The one thing above all else that seems to block the flow of the life of God to an individual, to a church, or to a nation, is:

  • this unwillingness to forgive, this holding of grudges,
  • this desire to put somebody down in order to feel good yourself,
  • this unwillingness to set these things aside and let God heal all the hurts of life.

The Lord brings us through a time of testing and adjustments.  There are corrections to be made to our path of life, and those corrections will begin to  bear fruit as soon as we let go of the things that have been a distraction and  a hindrance to our progression.  You will now be able to see with greater clarity and understanding, as you walk in the Spirit.

Proverbs 10:17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who  refuses correction goes astray.

Father, how many times I have refused the forgiving word, the restoring act, only to be tormented by fears and anxieties and worries. Thank You for the forgiveness that is mine in Jesus Christ. Teach me to extend it to those around me. Take my pride from me! Amen

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Truths About the Death of Jesus

By Bob / August 5, 2024

 Grace is at the heart of the Christian faith. Nowhere is this more clearly seen than at the cross of Christ.
It is grace that the Son of God took on flesh, and grace that he taught us how to live — but it is especially grace that he died on the cross in our place.

Here are five biblical truths about what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

1. The death of Jesus was for his enemies.

God’s love is different than natural human love.  God’s love is Agape Love which is the only love essential to human survival. (Romans 5:7–8).


2. The death of Jesus purchased a people.

The death of Christ was effective in its purpose. And its goal was not just to purchase the possibility of salvation, but a people for his own possession.  Hear Jesus’swords: “All that the Father gives to me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out… And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day” (John 6:36, 39).

3. The death of Jesus is on our behalf.
Jesus’s death was substitutionary. *That is, he died in our place. *Jesus died the death that we deserved. *Jesus bore the punishment that was justly ours.     (1 Peter 2:24).

4. The death of Jesus defines love.
Jesus death wasn’t just an act of love, it defines love.
His substitutionary death is the ultimate example of what love means, and Jesus calls those who follow him to walk in the same kind of life-laying-down love. (1 John 3:16).
5. The death of Jesus reconciles us to God.
Justification, propitiation, and redemption — all benefits of Christ’s death have one great purpose: reconciliation.

*Jesus’s death enables us to have a joy-filled relationship with God, which is the highest good of the cross.

Paul writes, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him” (Colossians 1:21–22).

Thank You Jesus for the forgiveness you have for me– which was purchased at the cross. Help me too, to extend that forgiveness to others for your Glory.  Amen

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What is the church?

By Bob / August 3, 2024

I think we’re asking the wrong question, because the Bible uses that word to describe a group of people, not a gathering or event. So we really should be asking,

Who IS THE CHURCH?  not what.

A Pastor wrote- “The church is the regenerate people of God saved by the power of God for the purposes of God in this world.”

Acts 4:32 The group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but everything was held in common.
*This means we don’t stop being the church when we walk out of the building on Sunday morning.

*Instead, everything we do, we do as the blood-bought church of God, for the fame of Jesus, everywhere.

God’s Word brings life. God’s Word brings protection and guidance.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN A CHURCH?

We can love one another by sharing each others burdens. We have a lot of talkers in the Body of Christ, but what we need are more believers  to take action and be willing to listen and pray.  (see Galatians 2:20, Eph. 3:14-21)

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”  James 5:16

You do not have to go to Bible school or have an ordination paper hanging on your wall in order to be part of God’s royal priesthood.

Everyone who has been washed in the blood of Jesus has been raised up as a priest unto the Lord.

1 Peter 2: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Have you searched your heart about being a priest to your family?
Your work?

 

Doing God’s work God’s way:  Exodus 31:1-11, Proverbs 5:7, Galatians 1:15-16,  2 Timothy 1:8-9, Hosea 4:6,  1 Corinthians 4:6 for a few

Dear Lord, thank You for this reminder from Your Word. You are amazingly lavish in Your love for me, and You have given me so much. All I have is Yours. Please help me to excel in the grace and worship of giving. Open my eyes to opportunities to bless others for Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

(Ephesians 2:10,  4:10-16, 5:29-30,  Romans 8:9-11)

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Passionate for God and Truth

By Bob / July 30, 2024

What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,“That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.” (Romans 3:3–4)

By John Piper

Our concern with truth is an inevitable expression of our concern with God. If God exists, then he is the measure of all things, and what he thinks about all things is the measure of what we should think.

Not to care about truth is not to care about God. To love God passionately is to love truth passionately. Being God-centered in life means being truth-driven in ministry. What is not true is not of God.

Ponder these four sets of texts on God and truth:

1) God Is the Truth

Romans 3:3–4 (God the Father): “What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar.”

John 14:6 (God the Son): Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”

John 15:26 (God the Spirit): “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness of me.”

2) Not Loving the Truth Is Eternally Ruinous

2 Thessalonians 2:8–12: “They will perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

3) Christian Living Is Based on Knowledge of the Truth

1 Corinthians 6:15–17: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one body with her?”

4) The Body of Christ Is Built with Truth in Love

Colossians 1:28: “And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.”

May God make us passionate for him and for truth.

Amen

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Brokenhearted

By Bob / July 28, 2024

All our flowery words about Jesus are not enough. Our actions must match our words in order for it to become truth.

*”Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Matthew
23:28

Psalm 147:2–3The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.  

The Lord is today building up Jerusalem. He is gathering the exiles of Israel. He’s healing the brokenhearted and binding up their wounds.
* That’s good news for all who will turn to God.
*It’s good news for God’s people, Israel.

*It’s good news for the church of Jesus Christ, because the same God that is gathering Israel is gathering the church back to Himself, bringing us into our inheritance, healing our wounds, binding up our broken hearts.

 

There’s a ministry of the Holy Spirit today that’s something very special –

*it’s a ministry to the brokenhearted.

*It’s a ministry to those who are wounded in their hearts.

 

If you carry a wound inside you, turn to God, say, “God, this is a time of restoration; it’s a time of regathering.

*You are healing the brokenhearted.
*You are binding up their wounds.
Lord, You know that wound I’ve carried so long in my heart; will You heal me?”

And the invisible finger of God, the Holy Spirit, will reach down where no surgeon can reach and touch that wounded place in your life and bring you healing and restoration.

God has placed all His majesty, glory and power in one source: Christ.
Colossians 2:2 I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.

*His glory is not made known in smart and powerful men or through brilliant plans and ingenious strategies.
*His glory is found in a single source: Jesus.

If we want Christ’s glory in our lives and in our churches, it is not going to come through our strength or schemes.

*It is going to come by emptying ourselves out that He may fill us.
*As we go deeper in loving Him we become more like Him.
We must say with John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease”.  (John 3:30).

Father, Forgive me for the many times I have been too busy to see the needs around me. Break my heart for those who are brokenhearted in pain and feel hopeless. Encourage them through me, Lord. Fill my heart with Your love so that I can give it away.
In Jesus’ name,  Amen.

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A THIRST FOR GOD

By Bob / July 27, 2024

Psalm 42:1–2As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
David speaks there about a thirst of the soul. He says, “My soul thirsts for God.”

I suppose we are all familiar with what thirst is in our personal experience.

David speaks about a relationship to God that’s parallel to physical thirst.

He says, “My soul thirsts for God. When can I go and meet with God?”
• Do you know what it is to thirst for God?
• Have you ever felt that deep, inner longing that cannot be satisfied with anything less than God Himself?

If you have, I want to tell you that God is waiting.
You can go and meet with Him and satisfy that thirst in your soul, which cannot be satisfied by anything but God.

 

Deliberately deal with things that distract you from seeking Jesus’ face with a whole heart.
These are critical times in your spiritual development and supernatural progression. This is a time when you need to get your head screwed on straight–to become clear in your thinking and calm in your emotions so that your attitudes, motives and actions line up with the truth of God’s word. Become ONE with Him.

 

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

 

Lord, I come to you with my thirst for You – Fill my cup of  love to over flowing that I may give to others.  Thank you for all Your promises to all of us in Your perfect Word.  Amen

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Who Are You?

By Bob / July 26, 2024

God’s Word is the only way to access what’s happening in your spirit. You can’t go by how you feel or even your experiences. Experiences can grab your attention or touch you, but only the Word of God can truly reveal what’s going on in your spirit. There is a spiritual you, and in the spirit, you are perfect.

1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul prayed, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;
and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
There are many verses that say this, but this one puts it all in one. It’s really clear that you have a spirit, soul, and body-not just a body and a soul, but three parts to you.

On the inside of every Christian, there is a completely brand-new person that most don’t have a revelation of. Even if they’ve heard of their inner man, functionally they don’t live according to it.

They live and face their problems based on their physical ability and what they feel. If you control your thinking with what is true in the spirit, it’ll control your feelings. All you’ll experience is life and peace. Romans 8:6 says,

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

God began speaking these truths to me through His Word, and I started relating to Him based on faith in what the Bible says. It has changed my life. I’m telling you, there are so many Christians looking for some type of experience or some external thing that’s going to change their lives! But it’s the Word that’s the foundation for everything.

The Word of God is what will change your life. The reason you may be living under the thumb of the devil is because you don’t know who you are or what you have.

The Bible has more than 7,000 promises from God to you—promises of success, confidence, health, prosperity, strength, wisdom and more.  Why does God make these promises?  Because he wants you to learn to trust Him.  Find a promise in God’s Word for you this day.  Amen

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TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS

By Bob / July 25, 2024

Romans 3:10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.

Every follower of Jesus has a certain hunger in his heart. It is a passionate zeal to be holy before God—free from sin, victorious over flesh, pure and spotless before the Lord.

The Holy Spirit actually plants this desire—an innate longing to live uprightlyin the heart of every human being.

*For nonbelievers, the spirit of this world can darken the mind to any sense of rightness.
*For believers, failure to live in a way that honors God can crush the spirit.

This desire to live right is behind the meaning of the word righteousness.
Righteousness means to be in right standing with God—to live with right motives, emotions and behavior—and establish right alignment with His purposes.  (moral orderliness)

To truly be righteous, we have to know what it is and is not.
The Bible describes our righteousness in two words:
1.  Justification-(our position, or right standing, with God).
*Romans 1:17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

2. Sanctification-(our walk with God, our ongoing relation to Him).
*Romans 6:22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.

 

*Don’t try to impress yourself or others with what you do. Be impressed with what God does.

 

Jesus, may I remember your sacrifice and help me keep my humility so the focus can be on You at all times.  May You receive All the Glory!  Amen

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WHAT HAS GOD GIVEN YOU

By Bob / July 24, 2024

“We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” 1 Corinthians 2:12

God desires for us to know what He has freely given to us.

One of the responsibilities of the Holy Spirit is to reveal His plans and purposes to us. They may be hidden for a time, but if we seek Him with our whole heart, we can know what He has given to us.
Once we understand what God has given to us, we can walk freely in our calling. However, if we strive to walk in a role that He never gave us, it will result in frustration and failure.

God wants to reveal His plan to us by His Spirit. This requires a willingness to seek and accept what He gives us. It may be different from what we thought. It may require adjustments to follow His path for our lives.

Ask God to reveal what He has freely given to you. Pray that you receive and embrace only those things He has reserved for you to receive and to accomplish in your life.

Then you can be assured of a life full of meaning and purpose, and you can look forward to hearing those all-important words someday, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.”

FOLLOW THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Lord is going to reward us based on how well we did, not on how much we did.

Those who are not governed by the Holy Spirit in their actions will see all their good works burned up on the day we stand before the Lord and He tries our works.

Those who acted only under the guidance of the Holy Spirit will find that their works will endure the test and they will receive a reward.

 

Many people choose to do good things thinking that God will be pleased. It is our positive response to God’s direction (faith) that pleases God (Heb. 11:6). We were created with a purpose and every individual has a God-given plan for his life. Unless our actions are in agreement with God’s plan for our life, they will not abide the test of God’s fire.

 

Thank you Jesus for the gifts you have given us.  Help me to discern on how best to use them to Glorify You and not me.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

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The Greatest Act of Love

By Bob / July 22, 2024

Read–Romans 5:6-11

What do you think about when you see a depiction of Christ on the cross?

Most of us are overwhelmed by the physical and emotional suffering that He endured—the scourging, beating, thorns, nails, mocking, and shame. We are horrified at the cruelty of the Romans and the hard hearts of the Jewish rulers.

But during the crucifixion, far more was happening than the eye could see. God was carrying out His plan to rescue mankind, providing everything we need for salvation:

  1. Redemption. Jesus paid the full price of the debt we owed for transgression: death. His payment set us free from bondage to sin.
  1. Forgiveness. God could now release us from the punishment we deserved.
  1. Propitiation. Christ’s payment satisfied
    the Father by fulfilling His demand for justice while letting Him forgive us.
  1. Justification. On the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice, the Lord now declares believers not guilty.

Although we will still sin in this earthly life, our standing before God is one of righteousness. This is a legal declaration that can never be reversed.

  1. Reconciliation. The sin barrier that separated us from the Father was removed by Christ’s death on our behalf. We’re now God’s children—we have open access to Him and fellowship with Him.

The crucifixion was the only way to rescue lost humanity. If there had been any other way, the cross would have been a ugly display of divine cruelty. But because so much was at stake, it can truly be called the greatest act of love by both the Father and the Son.

Thank You Jesus for the Cross which won total Victory over Satan.  Help me to come to know You more and more Jesus so that Your love will fill me to overflowing and then give that same love to others in need.  Amen

 

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True Meaning of Workplace Success

By Bob / July 19, 2024

“But remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today” (Deut. 8:18).
“The greater our success, the greater the risk of us thinking too highly of ourselves.”

“Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man; but for one man who can stand prosperity there are a hundred that will stand adversity.”

Oswald Chambers wrote, “Sudden elevation frequently leads to pride and a fall. The most exacting test of all to survive is prosperity.”
• Each of us must view success as a gift from God.
• We must learn to see all of our successes as a gift from God, not our own achievement.
The Lord is the source of all success, all elevation, all blessing.
If you have a good mind and a healthy body, if you live in a land of opportunity, if you have a good education, if you’ve had a few breaks go your way, then you have much to be grateful forand no cause for arrogance.
You didn’t achieve success; you received it as a gift.

I have learned it is better to learn humility voluntarily, than involuntarily!
True Meaning of Workplace Success

5 Truths for our Work being our Worship

1. Belief in the reality of God who has spoken, making the word of God the basis of our understanding and action.

2. Therefore, operate by faith in the Word of God, knowing life in the workplace is just as spiritual as the time we spend in worship.

3. The result is, having confidence in God’s calling and His gifting’s, that makes work worth while and fulfilling.

4. So, God is glorified in the workplace.

5. Resulting in, success being measured by faithfulness to Christ, following him in obedience.

Nothing that happens on earth can ever change the Word of God.
“Heaven and earth will disappear, but My Words will never disappear”. Mark 13:31

5 Myths When Missing God as our Pilot

1. Belief in self – it is all about me!

2. Therefore, we operate from one’s limited perspective.

3. The result is, self-confidence with arrogance leading you.

4. So, the workplace centers on man’s achievements alone.

5. Resulting in, success being measured by pride in material wealth.

Paul tells us: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you” (Rom. 12:3).

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