Let us then approach Godʼs throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 NIV
It's hard to have confidence when we need grace and mercy. When we are at our lowest we feel we may never get back to where we were. But this verse tells us to approach God with confidence...with faith...that he will do as he promised and provide help in time of need.
I love that promise. I love that we can rest on that promise.
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 NIV
I like that this verse follows yesterday's message..the message of hope that God will help in time of need. I also like how God seems to know that we need a word of encouragement and if we trust him and spend time in his word every day, that encouragement is what we will find. If we're not looking we won't find it.
It may be cold and dark where you're at. You may feel like you are sliding into an abyss. You may think there is no hope. But God has already provided you hope and a future if you will trust him and take him at his word.
Find your eagle and soar.
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10 KJV
Despite the formal tone of the KJV, newer more modern versions are almost the exact same wording, which I love because that means that these words are simple and timeless, easy to understand and unchangeable. This is one of my favorite promises from God. Don't fear because he is with you and will hold you up no matter what happens.
It's easy to get discouraged when things around you don't go right. Life can get very messy. But we must have faith that God is good to his word and will help us. He doesn't just say he might help if we ask. He will help. Period.
Trust God to help in time of need.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matthew 28:19 KJV
Go and teach. In order to teach you must first learn it yourself. Jesus spent much of his ministry teaching others. Some he had to teach a lesson to more than once. But he modeled what he wanted his disciples to do. He taught them and now they were to go and teach others.
Once we learn about God we are not to keep it to ourselves. We are to teach others about him. We do this through discipling, loving and modeling God's principles, just as Jesus did.
So go today. Learn and then pass on the knowledge.
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke 2:20 NIV
When you hear a news story or see a headline or when someone says, "hey, did you hear?", there are times when you just can't quite believe the story. That is until you hear it from a reliable source or see it for yourself. The shepherds believed because what they saw.matched what they had been told.
God's word is our reliable source. Faith helps us to believe what we don't physically see. If we question God, we lessen the reliability of his word. There's no greater satisfaction than to know you know the truth about all else.
Seeing isn't believing...believing is seeing.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 NIV
We have many roles in life. Some large, some small. We are sons, daughters, wives, husbands, neices, uncles, friends, co-workers, bosses. These title help explain to others our relationships to those around us.
The names, or titles, that Jesus is given here do the same thing. They seek to explain God's relationship to us in the form of his son. He is Jehovah. He is Alpha and Omega. He is the Prince of Peace.
Let us worship and adore him as his titles are befitting a king worthy of praise.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:13-14 KJV
I like the KJV of this verse. It's the one Linus quoted in Charlie Brown Christmas when telling Charlie Brown the real meaning of Christmas. It's Jesus. Angels rejoiced. We should rejoice. For on this night the past can be forgiven and the future be rewritten. In the morning when we wake we will find that God has taken form.
Let's rejoice with the angels. Merry Christmas to all and glory to God in the highest.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:6-7 KJV
I love that my Bible app is pulling verses from the birth of Jesus. It's what most Christians refer to as the Christmas Story. We know that Jesus was born during the taxing season which is why Joseph and Mary had to travel back to Bethlehem. But over the years we have come to celebrate what was originally a winter harvest celebration as christmas...Christ's birthday.
It's funny but just like Joseph and Mary travelled home, a lot of people go home for the holidays. There's something about this time of year that makes us yearn to be with loved ones and friends. Gifts or no gifts, the true magic of Christmas is in being with those you love.
Merry Christmas.
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9 NIV
So I pretty much stink at buying gifts for people....gift giving in general is not one of my finer points. I admit it and hopefully no one will take anything I give them too seriously. But I do it all with a loving heart because I want to show them I care. We show our love by giving of our time, our resources or our feelings.
But no matter how much I love someone I don't know if it would be humanly possible for me to give up my child because I loved them. As a parent I cannot fathom the depth and breadth of this selfless act. God loves us that much. He just does. Accept what he has given in the true spirit in which it was intended...to be forever with him.
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 NIV
Most people know that the name of Jesus, Immanuel, Joshua, Yeshua...all these mean the same thing: God with us. But look at the rest of the verse. His name will be Jesus because He...because God...will save us. Because God. That's very powerful.
We know he lives...because God. We have faith...because God.
We have joy...because God.
Because God came down and sent his Son, we have eternal life. Let us celebrate this greatest gift and rejoice...because God!
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17 NIV
Too often we feel pushed aside, degraded, put down....condemned...by the world. That's the reality we live in. It happens to us more than we would like to admit. So it may be hard to believe the truth of this verse.
No matter what you've done, no matter how low you've gone, Jesus didn't come here to push you aside and tell you how awful you are. He came to love you. To save you. To make you new.
As the Christmas song goes, "Mary did you Know," "this child that you delivered will soon deliver you." Let yourself believe this. Let yourself accept God's greatest gift.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 NIV
I did a little research on this verse because I was curious about how the NIV version read. Two things stood out to me. One is that the word "you" in this verse is in the plural. The sign is for everyone because God's salvation is for everyone.
The other was how it said that he, the son, shall be called Immanuel. There are several references to who will call him Immanuel. One of those is the plural, "they". Again, Immanuel is for all, everyone will call him God with us...again in the plural.
This verse is inclusive of everyone. God sent his salvation for us all. So go tell everyone that God is with us!
To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Proverbs 21:3 NIV
I'm sure you've heard the saying, 'I'd rather ask for forgiveness than for permission.' I'm also sure you've said you were sorry for something only to be told if you were truly apologetic you would stop doing it. Well, here is the truth of both of these: do what's right and you'll not have to apologize or ask for permission. How hard is that? Harder than you think.
You see we have one job. Love God with all our heart. That's it. Everything else is just the end result of us loving God. But we find ourselves toiling over daily tasks and forget what our one job is.
So today be better at loving God and you'll find yourself naturally doing what's right and just.
I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. Psalm 119:10 NIV
This is my plea to God. I want to please him. I want to walk in his word. But I am only human and most days, if not all, I will fail miserably. So I understand this please from the Psalmist. He knows he will fail but he also knows God can keep him in the word.
I've grown more in the few months since I started these daily readings than in all my years of Christian school. I'm not ignorant of the fact that at this point in my life love and family mean more than things. But I also know that in doing these daily devotionals, no matter how short or small, that I am staying in his word. It puts it at the forefront of my mind and I dwell on these words all day long.
So keep me in your word Lord. Do not let me stray. Amen.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:6-7 NIV
Love and truth always hope and persevere. Love and truth always hope and persevere. And love protects. God is love. So God protects. Protects us with hope. Protects us with perseverance.
If we are in God we have hope even if we don't feel it some days. We can rest in the truth even if evil seems to be taking over. We can know we are protected from the Devil's schemes even if he is closing in. We must trust in the truth that is Jesus our Lord.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in Godʼs likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. James 3:9-10 NIV
I'm not sure I need to expound on this one. It's pretty clear. It hit me right in the ticker and thinker when I read it. Far too often we speak poorly of some and only praise others. How can we be acting in God's likeness and unfathomable love if we do this.
Surely there are people who we may find difficult to love. But we're we any different outside of God's grace and forgiveness? See them through his eyes. Speak of them through his words.
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. 1 John 5:14-15 NIV
When we die we leave a will stating how things should be divided amongst our surviving family and friends. Sometimes people contest the will and then no one gets anything until it's settled. Not one person can get anything outside that will.
And it is so much more with God's will. We can ask anything we desire. But if we are not in his will, if we are not walking in faith, if we are asking for something outside that will....nothing will happen. We must operate in God's will for our lives. Once we desire him, nothing else matters. We will then only ask of him what we desire within his plan for us.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
It's not very often in our human existence that we want to boast about our weaknesses. We feel ashamed. We feel inadequate. We feel insecure and unworthy. We don't want to feel this way because we then feel out of control. I don't know own about you but I like to be in control. That's when we can feel confident and secure.
But when we are confident in our own abilities we don't look to others to help us out, especially God. We figure we got it so we don't need any help. And that's when God cannot work in us. In order for him to do his work we must realize where we need him the most. Then all we must do is ask. I like the end result the apostle speaks of: Christ's power resting on us. I need more of that.
Lord, I know where I am weak and give that to you today. Amen.
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of Godʼs grace. Acts 20:24 NIV
I'm a notorious task lister, meaning I write down all the things I need to get done. As I finish things, I mark them off. As new things pop up, I add them. So my list is pretty much continuous. So I usually feel very awesome when I'm down to just one job left on my list. Do you know that feeling?
If so, you know how'd you feel of you truly believed this verse. I love the way the NIV version reads. My only aim is to do the task...the single task...that God gave me. What a wonderful thing to have that accomplished feeling everyday that you have but one thing to do.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 NIV
How many times in your life have you said, "I'll believe it when I see it." Probably about as many times as I have. Humans have limited ability to understand things we can't see or touch.
But we are helped in our faith to understand things we have not yet seen. Some people call it a sixth sense. In Star Wars, it's the force. Others call it having a third eye. It's our way of trying to understand it in our limited capacity to know that which we don't. Faith enables us to see and know. As we grow in our faith we understand more and are at peace.
So let God help you grow your faith.
He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. John 1:8 NIV
In order to understand this verse, I read the verses around it. The writer is referring to John the Baptist. The chapter I'm begins talking about Jesus being the Word and being made flesh, and how he is the light of the world. Then the writer references John and to ensure no one confuses him for the light, they specifically say he came as a witness and is not the light.
As I thought about this, I thought how cool would that be if people had to distinguish us in this way so that others don't confuse us with the savior. For us to be so in Christ that people see God in us. This is what it means to be Christ-like. I know I need to ask myself if I've been Christ-like today. Probably not so I have work to do.
Let others see God in you and let men say of you that you bear witness to the light of the world.
Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. 2 Corinthians 7:1 NIV
I'm pretty sure God was trying to tell me something today. Even before I read this verse, FB freida posted the flowing verse:
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (Colossians 3:12-13)
In forgiving others we perfect the holiness of our spirit. As we develop forbearance and patience, we become more like God. I guess God knew I would need a little but of patience today so he was reminding me what my higher purpose is. And that's to be more like him; to show his love and mercy to others as it has been shown to me.
I am thankful that God knows what message I need before I do. He cares so much for you and me that he anticipates our needs and makes sure we get our needs met. How much more should we do for those around us.
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28 NIV
Have you ever gone to the movies and then stayed until the end credits were done rolling? Sometimes filmmakers put little gems at the very end that give hints about the movie or another project that ties to it. It's usually worth waiting for. Next time you go, stay for the end credits. Then look around the theatre. There likely will be very few people who waited around. But you get to walk away with a little something extra.
I had a doctor who for the longest time was so busy I sometimes waited 3 to 4 hours past my appointment time. I knew this and planned for it. Oh it was worth it! He was the absolute best and I miss him since he retired.
These are two human examples where the result was worth the wait. How much better will it be if we are patient and wait on God to return for us? So don't give up. Don't get weary. Wait! He promises a great reward.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NIV
I love this verse, especially in light of the Christmas season. Everything about this verse tells of God's glory, grave, mercy and being. He is the word. He chose to dwell among us. He chose to give himself as a sacrifice.
And because he came to live among us, we can bear witness to his glory. We see it every day in the sunrise and sunset, we hear it in a child's laugh, and we kiss his cheeck when we kiss our babies. God's glory is all around us. See it for the truth that it is.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-3 NIV
I don't know that this is humanly possible...to consider it joy when you go through trials. But what I do know is that nothing worth having is easy. I also know that of I want something or want to accomplish something, I have to work at it and I might fail or have trouble. In the end though is the reward. That's what I think the apostle was talking about.
God does test our faith. We wish he didn't just like we wish we never had to face any troubles. But I know that God is in control and he is more concerned about my faith and eternal well being than my comfort here.
So I must trust him or all is in vain.
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a motherʼs womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Ecclesiastes 11:5 NIV
With advances in science andntechnology, we have far more access to information than the contemporaries for whom this verse was written. However, even though we know how babies are made and can predict the weather, there are still many aspects of science, nature and space that we don't know. But God does.
We should not think so highly of what we know, because it is God who grants wisdom. We can learn all we want from books, but we will never, in our human minds, be able to fully understand God's ways. That is why we must live by faith.
Take delight in the Lord , and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NIV
Take delight in. Now here's a word I wanted to delve into a little. Dictonary.com defines the word delight as "a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture". Similar words include contentment and enchantment. For me, I would think it's similar to how I feel when I'm walking through a Christmas wonderland. I'm enchanted and delighted at the sights and sounds.
Now imagine being that delighted with God. If your heart takes delight in him, he'll give you your desires which would be to be more like him. It's not the earthly desires he's talking about. It's our soul and eternal desires. Imagine being so contented in him you desire nothing more in this life.
Delight in him. Be enchanted by him.
Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20 NIV
My husband and I were in the yard pulling up weeds today. It was actually relaxing, something real I could sink my hands into. He asked if our weed pulling would go in my blog and wouldn't you know it that today's verse is perfect! There are several life lessons to be learned from pulling weeds, and I don't mind getting down in the dirt. But when I get up I'm dirty. That's what happens. That's just another way of saying what this verse says.
If you surround yourself with fools, you will end up a fool...or worse. That's what happens. We must be careful who we surround ourselves with, especially our inner circle.
Learn from those who you can trust, who thirst after the one true God.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV
As humans we have a tendency to believe that we 'work harder' at something than someone else, therefore we are more deserving of a reward. We get especially upset when someone is promoted or praised because of work they didn't do. How then would we feel if we had to work our way into heaven and someone else got in that we felt didn't deserve to be there?
God's answer is that his grace is a gift, freely given to all who ask and believe in him. God's in this business to bring mankind back tonhim, to restore what sin took away. He's not interested in how hard you work. He's interested in your faith and in your soul.
Let his grace set you free and accept his gift of eternal life.
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:11 NIV
Another verse talking about praising God through trials. Is your soul downcast? Meaning, are you stressed or worried about anything? Stress can manifest itself in physical ailments. I'm going through this now. Work and life are very stressful. I felt great while I was visiting my daughter because I could relax. But that doesn't help when I'm back at work or worried about anything.
So how do I handle stress? I have various outlets, but none of them are as effective as this little devotional I type each night. Through this small act of faith and spending time in God's word, my faith has grown. My heart is more tuned into what God wants to do through me. So I am not worried. I do still feel stress, but I will do as this verse says. I will praise him and put my hope in God.
So tell your soul to not be sad. Rejoice and praise him!
