Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
I am honored to share with you daily devotions, but I will do this only six days a week…So let me encourage you to enter the house of God, on His day, the Lord’s Day, and receive your message from one of His many dedicated servants. May God bless you as your enter His house to receive His message and His guidance
1 John 5:11-12 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
What is your life all about? What is the main reason for your existence in this world? These are two simple questions, but they are not simply answered. We are here upon this earth for but a short time, and what we use this time for serves to guide us in answering these two questions. What we focus on within our daily routine, what we attend to on a regular basis demonstrates to the world that which is important within our lives. What is your life all about? If you are a Christian, your life should be all about Jesus. If you are a Christian, the main reason for your existence in this world should be to bring glory and honor to Jesus. We have but one life to live. Let us resolve to live that life sharing the life of Christ.
Prayer Starter:
Lord, help me focus my energy on You, utilizing every opportunity to share Your existence with this world.
Luke 7:31-32 “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’
If someone were to stand up at your funeral, what type of declaration would they make in regards to your life? Would they declare the power of your faith? Would they share the blessing of your presence within their lives? Would they state that it was the power of Christ’s presence within your life that led them to find the same within theirs? Stop for a moment and determine what your life is like and what your life is pointing toward. Is it pointing toward God? Is it leading others to Jesus? Is it describing His love through our actions? Is it exhibiting Biblical principles no matter the cost? How we live our lives is important, for how we live them affects the ways others live theirs.
Prayer Starter:
Lord, help me live my life out loud for You!
Luke 9:51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
Here we are told that Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Jesus, knowing the path that was set before Him, was determined to enter into Jerusalem, thus allowing the will of God to take place within His life. Have you ever been resolute about your faith? Have you ever been determined to walk in with a powerful purpose, the purpose of Christ? Jesus understood what was going to happen to Him, yet he was resolved to walk right into the very place where His punishment would become a reality. Jesus was ready to do the will of God, to live out His purpose admirably and powerfully. Are you ready to do the same? Chances are you will not be called to give up your life for the sake of the gospel, but all Christians are called to live, to truly live, their lives for the sake of the gospel. Are you living the calling placed upon your life by God?
Prayer Starter:
Lord, help me live my life purposefully, admirably, and for Your honor and glory.
Philippians 2:5-8 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death —even death on a cross!
To take upon our lives the attitude of Christ means to set aside the attitude and desires of ourselves. These words are easy to speak and even easier to type, but are very difficult to apply to our lives. To take upon the attitude of Christ within our lives means we have to set aside who we are and allow the presence of Christ to freely flow. To take upon the attitude of Christ within our lives means we can no longer look at things through our own eyes or perspective, for we must see the world through the eyes of Christ. To have the attitude of Christ does not come without change or sacrifice within our lives, but all that we must do is well worth the reward of eternal life in Heaven.
Prayer Starter:
Lord, help me alter my life where it must be altered, thus causing me to become a reflection of You and not a presentation of self.
John 13:1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
For Jesus, the hour of death was approaching. As His mind was counting down the minutes and already feeling the pain, He saw before Him an opportunity to teach His disciples. Soon their time together would come to a close, and they would be on their own, but not at this moment. In an attempt to teach them what it truly meant to serve, Jesus washed their feet. There among them was confusion, for their Master should not be within a servant’s position. However, that’s exactly where Jesus wanted them to see Him. Jesus wanted them to understand that to be a servant of God is to be a servant of man. He wanted them to understand that serving God meant being willing to get down on your knees before man. Jesus could have used these moments to focus on Himself, but instead, he used it to teach and guide the disciples. Jesus lived His life to the very end in dedicated service to God, striving to help others find Him that they may find salvation. How are we living our lives? Are we living them to the fullest for God or ourselves? Do we take advantage of every opportunity to serve God or serve ourselves? Which will it be within your life, God or you?
Prayer Starter:
Lord, help me choose to live my life fully for You.
Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
I am honored to share with you daily devotions, but I will do this only six days a week…So let me encourage you to enter the house of God, on His day, the Lord’s Day, and receive your message from one of His many dedicated servants. May God bless you as your enter His house to receive His message and His guidance
Proverbs 12:17 A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies.
When the world sees a Christian, it must see a reflection of Christ. When the world hears a Christian, it must hear a reflection of Christ. The world expects and deserves to see the reality of a Christian’s claim. If we shall not strive to become like Christ, let us then refrain from the claim of being a Christian. What difference does it make if we are short in our reflection of Christ? Not being as the Bible dictates, not being a reflection of Christ, not striving to be giving honest testimony with our witness, we leave the chance for a false impression of God, thus the chance for someone to mistakenly refuse Christ or to believe that they are living for Christ when, in fact, they are not. As Christians, our truthful witness separates us from the world, thus we must hold to it firmly.
Prayer Starter:
Lord, help me bring You into this world through Your presence within my life.
Matthew 7:15 Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
The warnings come one after another. Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Beware of false prophets. Beware of those with personal agendas. These warnings, at times, are heeded. But in some cases, they are not followed before the wolves have lived within the sheep’s pen for quite some time. Their motives are selfish, and their plans are masterful. They seek to infiltrate and confuse the order of things. Their purpose is simple, control. Some wolves, as they look within the mirror, do not even see that they are wolves, for they believe that they have the best interest of things at heart. But they are wolves, nonetheless. False prophets, fake Christians, are controlled by an artificial heart, a heart that is not open to the true presence of God. To protect ourselves from them and also ourselves, we must always keep our hearts open to God and His direction.
Prayer Starter:
Lord, help me become certain of my motives and attentive to the hearts of those around me.
Revelation 22:15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
What will it take for us to understand the plain and simple truth of God? What needs to happen before we will come to understand that our entire lives need to be turned over to God and that, otherwise, what we do is worthless? Will we ever release ourselves completely, allowing God to have complete control over our lives, COMPLETE control over our lives? Many who called upon the name of Jesus will be standing outside of God’s glory one day. Many will be surfing in the pains and torment of Hell, not believing that there is reasoning behind their presence. Many walk about believing that they have turned their lives over to God, only to find that it never really happened. Many will argue that their faith was strong and noticeable, but how can they argue when Jesus stands before them stating that He knew them not. Now is the time to get our lives set on the correct path. Now is the time to begin living for God in a way that is currently foreign to us. Now is the time to let Jesus be the Lord of your life, for tomorrow it might be too late.
Prayer Starter:
Lord, guide me into a real relationship with You. Change my heart and change my life.
