We Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6-9 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise
Jeremiah 29:11 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Faith and hope-are they two sides of the same coin or are they completely different entities? When I think of the Old Testament saints, I am amazed by the faith they displayed. If we need to see to believe then we do not have faith, for by faith we believe in the unseen and hope in the impossible.
Faith, a strong belief or trust, when paired with hope, a confident expectation, is what keeps us going when we are tempted to give up. I know of no one whose life has been untouched by disappointment or disease. But God, in His mercy, gives us the ability to face whatever comes our way.
May we let our faith and hope grow and continue to grow, so that we can accomplish God’s will.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Live in Peace
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 (NIV) 12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
Peace—inner calm, tranquility, absence of conflict.
Oh, how I love Paul’s words to the Thessalonians. Everything in these few verses provides us with a blueprint for living with and caring for others. Encourage, help, be patient with, do not pay back wrong but strive to do what is good. I have found that looking for good in others brings out the good in me. When I seek to see people through the eyes of Christ, I do not see their flaws, but I see people loved by God and therefore worthy of my love.
For years, I interpreted verse 18 to mean give thanks in spite of everything. That must be what he meant, right? No, when we are believers, Christ followers, we not only see life differently, we live differently. When we can begin to give thanks for adverse circumstances, then we are engaging in Kingdom living here on this earth.
May we today and every day rejoice always, stay in an attitude of prayer, and give thanks, for this is the will of God.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Psalms 62:5-8
5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Did you know how helpful it is to read the Word out loud? It is particularly important to speak the word as it relates to prayers or, perhaps using certain scripture as affirmations of our faith.
I love reading and studying God’s Word, and sharing my thoughts with others is such a blessing. It is my hope to encourage all to seek after the One who came to set the captives free, to model the love Jesus showed to even those who hated Him, and to choose kindness as our first response.
I do not write these devotionals because I have all the answers, but because I, like you, want nothing more than to find comfort in knowing my Lord and Savior more intimately, and to be transformed by His grace.
Take the name of Jesus with you and share Him with all you meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Tree
We put up a tree each Christmas,
And for years I didn’t know why.
The tree I related with Jesus
Was the one on which He died.
But then the answer came from Heaven,
Not a whisper, more like a sigh;
We put up a tree at Christmas
To celebrate new life in Christ.
The tree is always an evergreen
For this new life will never die.
And the joy is everlasting
And won’t fade as time goes by.
The treetop points towards Heaven,
Where Jesus sits upon the throne,
And the branches reach out to praise Him
Who claimed us as His own.
We dress the tree with ornaments and lights,
But neither of these is for show.
The ornaments are the fruits of the Spirit,
And each year, the fruits continue to grow.
The lights have a special meaning,
But it’s one all people should know.
They mean that Jesus is the light of the world,
And, oh, how that light still glows.
So when you put your tree up this Christmas,
Don’t forget the customs of the past.
But take time to celebrate Jesus,
So that your Christmas spirit will last
Far beyond the Christmas holidays,
And well into the New Year, too.
Take time to celebrate Jesus,
In return, you’ll find a brand new you.
2008 Carol J. Grace All Rights Reserved
Your Word, a Lamp
Psalms 119:101-108 101 I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.
נ Nun
105 Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.
107 I have suffered much;
preserve my life, LORD, according to your word.
108 Accept, LORD, the willing praise of my mouth,
and teach me your laws.
Psalm 119, the longest of the psalms, is so precious to me. As an intentional disciple, I have been careful to walk on the pathway of holiness most of my life. What does this mean?
Intentional discipleship is developing a deliberate relationship with God through Bible Study, prayer, meeting with other like-minded people to worship the One, True and Living God, and loving people with purpose, teaching them the Word of God and helping them grow in spiritual disciplines.
When I speak of the pathway of holiness, I picture a walkway, sometimes level, sometimes straight uphill. At times the path is broken and rocky, at other times it is unusually smooth. What delineates the pathway of holiness is our destination and those we help along the way. And, of course, the One we follow.
I know that I can depend upon the Holy Spirit to not only nudge me onward, but to comfort me when I am tired and lonely and to guide me when it seems my feet (and my heart) will stray. When we join with a community of believers, we can teach and be taught by others, for discipleship includes having a relationship with Jesus and with other believers.
May we today and every day follow the light of His Word as it teaches, comforts, and provides the direction toward that heavenly city.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Compelled by the Spirit
Acts 20:22-27 22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 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 God’s grace.
25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
Acts 20:36-38 36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again.
For those who have been in churches where the same pastor has led the congregation for years, you can appreciate more fully Paul’s announcement that he was leaving and they would never see his face again. We often form close ties with those who lead our churches, and their absence leaves us heartbroken and despondent.
But Paul knew that his focus had to be on fulfilling the mission for which he had been called, that is to preach Jesus and Him crucified for our sins and resurrected into eternal life. There was no other pursuit that could supercede God’s direction for his life.
When we give ourselves completely to God, there is a peace that settles upon us that defies human emotions. The transformational power of salvation is only the beginning and Paul recognized that his life was no longer his own.
May we be willing to give our lives in service to others and fully commit to supporting those who have been called to lead us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 