Monday
He Comes to Us
When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” (Matthew 14:26, 27 NLT).
Something that came to my attention when I got a devotion email in my in-box. Jesus doesn't just calm our storm and then come to us, He comes to us in the midst of our storm. He could calm the storm and make an easy path to help us but chooses not to do that. It's important to realize that during our tragedies in life, when we think we are all by ourselves, He is with us. God holds us tightly during these storms and uses them so that we might draw nearer to Him.
Lord, thank You for carrying us through our storms and never abandoning us. I praise You and give You thanks. Amen.
Tuesday
Mining for God's Gold
Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance—
all who seek the Lord!
Consider the rock from which you were cut,
the quarry from which you were mined.
Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor,
and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation.
Abraham was only one man when I called him.
But when I blessed him, he became a great nation (Isaiah 51:1-2 NLT).
We are all formed in the image of our God. Our Creator designed and formed us and knows more about us than we know about ourselves. We are His creation.
We all have the “gold” of God deep inside our hearts. We are prone to cover up that gold up with our sinful lives. We keep shoveling more and more dirt over God's gold. The gold mining industry must move two tons of dirt to harvest one ounce of gold. That's a lot of dirt.
There was a lot of dirt in my own life that had to be moved and discarded to get to that ounce of God's gold. I thank God for excavating, exploring, and revealing His gold that was in my heart. At times, it was painful. It was a very trying time during the excavation process. But no matter the discomfort, every scoop of dirt that was removed, the closer I got to my God.
Have you let God remove the sin (dirt) in your life? Are you letting Him excavate the dirt from your heart? Are you coming to Him for deliverance? Isn't it time to turn to God and accept His Son as your Savior? Isn't time to repent and let God take the dirt from your heart and reveal His precious gold?
Thank You Father God for loving us so much that You were willing to drag out the heavy equipment, get the excavator, and dig deep into our lives, changing us one scoop at a time. In the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.
Wednesday
A Goal in Life
May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ (2 Thessalonians 3:5 NLT).
We are challenged to love others as Christ loves us. That, my friends, is a very high standard to meet. Without Christ living in us, it is next to impossible. But, with Christ in us, it is not only possible but a very obtainable goal.
I challenge myself and each of you to come closer to Jesus and be His disciple, loving and ministering to a lost and dying world.
Thanks be to God for changing us from the inside out!
Lord God, help us to be more like You today than we were yesterday. Amen.
Thursday
Prayers and Hope
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying (Romans 12:12 NLT).
We can be confident that God hears our prayers and works mighty miracles in the lives of those who love Him. God's timing is perfect. He will act although it might not be when or what we expect.
We must stay Christ-centered and pray. Pray often and with your whole heart. Pour out your deepest kingdom wishes and desires. Pray for needs and not just your wants in your life. Pray for others. Just pray.
Thank You, Lord, for an open line of communication. While we are pouring out our petitions to You, help us remember to pause and listen for You to speak into our hearts, it's not just a one-way conversation. We praise You, Lord and we pray in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Friday
Opening Doors
And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened (Luke 11:9-10 NLT).
God opens doors for each of us. Sometimes we don't recognize His efforts because we are too bent on doing things our way. We must take the time to get on our knees and ask God to show us where He wants us to be. Also, we should continue to ask for our wants and needs. He will always supply our needs, but not always our wants. Always pray in His will, not ours. Keep on knocking on His door, He will answer. The truth be known, we might just have all that we need. We also might find that our wants don't really matter. While we are trying to figure out where God wants us to be and what He wants us to be doing, we might discover that we are already doing what He wants us to be doing and we are exactly where He wants us to be.
Lord God, help us to follow You and Your path for our lives. Help us not be focused on what we want to do but what You want to do through us. We ask and pray in the mighty name of Jesus, our Savior. Amen.
Saturday
Washed by the Blood
So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him (2 Corinthians 5:16-18 NLT).
Our lives are changed by a changed heart. What we once were, is not who we are now. This change is not by anything we have done or could do, but by the power of God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus took our sins to the cross and sacrificed them there. Thanks be to God.
Sin is the root cause of our destruction, nationally and personally. Sin, our sins, is what ultimately crucified Jesus.
Isn't it time to put your sin on the cross and start living the life God designed you to live? Stop living like hell and start living for Jesus Christ. It's your decision. I pray that you make the choice for a better way of life with Him. Life change is available by the power of Jesus.
Do you want real change in your earthly life? Are you tired? Are you weary? Real change is available. Isn't it time to open your heart to Jesus? Jesus changes our current life, but He also opens the narrow gate into heaven for our eternal life.
I praise You, God! The old man in me is gone and I've been washed new by the amazing blood of Jesus Christ. I was stained and now I'm washed clean, washed whiter than snow. Don't you want a fresh start in life and a secure home in heaven? Only you can answer that question.
Lord God, thank You for giving us a way to a better life, now and for eternity. In the name of our Savior, we pray. Amen.
Sunday
Comfort in Times of Tragedy
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT).
We should be reminded, continually, of how blessed we are to have a God who loves us and will hold us up during our times of loss, trouble, and tragedy. He is there for us. He never leaves us. He will never abandon us. He is our Comforter. He is our Savior. Jesus Christ is our Lord and King. Trust in Him and let Him have control, get out of His way, and let God be God.
After the loss of a family member and several dear friends, I'm reminded of how much God loved them and loves their families. I have seen that love play out at hospitals, funeral homes, and at memorials. I have seen, first hand, how Christ administers His comfort through each of us.
God can and will use each of us during these times to comfort others. By reflecting on how God has comforted us, during similar times, we can see that God has called all of us into this ministry. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. We must never forget that we should go and comfort someone who needs a hug, a kind word or just being there and standing with them in their struggle.
Thank You Lord God for using us as Your comforters. Amen.
