Monday: More Than We Deserve
“God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect” (2 Samuel 22:33 NLT).
If we follow our desired path instead of God's path, it usually doesn't work out too well. By following His path and relying on His love, mercy, grace, and correction; things tend to work out much better. God's correction is not always pleasant or what we would pick, but His correction is done in love. His love and correction are perfect, although, many times it is painful or comes at a cost. We can always trust in Him for all things. He places us under His wings. He is our God.
Father, thank You for loving us more than we deserve. We praise You and thank You for your never-ending love, mercy, and grace. We thank You for Your Son, Jesus Christ who came to the earth to save us from ourselves and our own destruction. In His name we pray, Amen.
Tuesday: His Glory Covers Our World
“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:4, 5 NLT).
As we move closer to Easter, let us continually focus on the fact that, by the way of the cross, Jesus conquered the sin of the world. But it's by the glorious resurrection that we are raised to new life. It's our faith in what God did that our hope rests. It's not about anything that we have done but about what God did for us. It's all about Jesus.
Thanks be to God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Wednesday: Eyes Fixed on Jesus
“I am counting on the LORD; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word” (Psalms 130:5 NLT).
Life is crazy. We never know what will cross our path. We aren't to worry, though. We are to trust in Jesus and enjoy every minute He has blessed us with. Tell your family and friends that you love them, give them hugs and kisses and thank God for every breath.
We might not be able to count on our next breath but we can count on God. He is always with us and will never leave us.
Lord, thank you for never giving up on us. Thank You for being with us 24/7/365. Thank You for Your holy Word. Thank You for every breath we take. We praise You, Lord God and give our lives to You. We pray in our Savior's name, amen.
Thursday: Doers not Sitters
“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves” (James 1:19-22 NLT).
Scripture states in James 1:22 that if we are not doers of the Word, we are only fooling ourselves. Are you claiming to be a Christian and sitting on the fact that you are saved? Becoming a Christian is not just saying the right words. There has to be a heart change and continued spiritual growth while we listen and follow Jesus' calling for our lives. God has blessed each of us with different abilities and “callings” in our lives. Some people are meant to be evangelists, some are meant to be suppliers of funds for those evangelists. Some are meant to lead small groups, some are meant to be members of a small group, etc. But we are all called to be doers, not sitters.
I challenge each of you, to get up and go “do” for God's kingdom. Serve someone, help someone, love someone, provide a service to someone in need, but go and do. Being Christ's hands and feet to the lost and dying world is what we are called to do, as followers of Jesus Christ.
Lord, we praise Your name, thanks be to You, Lord God, for giving us work to do in Your kingdom. This is not work so that we might be saved, but work that we desire to do because we are saved. We can't out-give You, Father. We praise You and pray in the mighty name of Jesus.
Amen.
Friday: It’s All About Jesus
"Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf” (Hebrews 7:25 NLT).
Everything was created by Him, through Him, and for Him. He is The King of Kings!
Father God, thank You for giving us an Open Door to heaven through our savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saturday: Not Snatchable
“Jesus replied, ‘I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one’” (John 10:25-30 NLT).
Do you know Jesus? Is He your Shepherd? Are you listening to Him and following His path?
If you aren't following Him, you are living a life that won't end well. Your choices of what and who you follow have eternal consequences. If you are following Christ, nothing can snatch you from His hands.
Thank You Lord for giving us a Way to our heavenly Father. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through Him. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Amen.
Sunday: Fear Not, the Storm Will Pass
“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT).
In today's Scripture, Peter is reflecting on how precious our faith is, but also how our faith will be put to the test, over our lifetime.
Sometimes we need to be reminded that the storms of life will pass and our true blessing is staying strong in our faith in Jesus Christ. After all, no matter what happens in this world, it's not the end of the story. Those that know and have faith in Jesus know that this world is not our eternal resting place. Those in Christ, have heaven to look forward to.
Father God, we praise You and thank you for sending Jesus to save us from ourselves. Father, Your plan is perfect and we hope and pray that all of our friends and family members understand Your amazing grace for their lives. May all who read this devotional search to find Christ Jesus as their Savior. It is in His name we pray, amen.
This post originally appeared on the Stand.
