Tag Archive for: Devotional

When God Ran

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You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)

What’s God doing in your life?

It’s Monday again and it’s time to reflect on God’s faithfulness.  How did you see God come through for you this last week?  How was God faithful to you?  Did God show you something new?  I would enjoy hearing how God is working in your life.  Drop me a line!

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Heart Check

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Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (Matthew 6:1)

It’s so interesting that Jesus just got done sharing 9 steps to a life of righteousness and now He moves on to a warning. Jesus examines the motives behind three common acts among the Jews. He talks this over with the disciples because He wants to make sure the motives of their hearts are right. It’s great to know the steps of a righteous life, but we also need to understand the attitude behind it to do it well. Let’s take a look at the next three items and see what kind of attitude we should exhibit.

1. Giving to the Needy (vs. 1-4)

Now it’s very important to stop and look at the first verse. The verse from above. God’s not going to strike you dead if your attitude is wrong. He’s not going to hate you or turn His back on you. The thing that will happen is that if you seek your reward on this earth, then you simply will not receive it in Heaven. What’s more important to you? A temporary reward here on earth that lasts maybe a moment or an eternal reward that lasts forever! I can guarantee you the eternal reward will well worth the wait.

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Hop Aboard

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Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

Matthew chapter 5 ends with this verse.  Let’s take a look at what it means and what God is truly calling us to.  The word perfect in the Greek actually means to be “mature, full-grown, finished, complete”.  God has called us to a complete life.  A life that is finished and leaves no loose ends.  If we look back over Matthew 5, we will see some of the loose ends that Jesus tied up for us.  He was showing us how to have a complete life in God.

1.  Focus on the Blessings (vs. 3-12)

Jesus started by sharing the blessings that will come with the Christian life.  These blessings come with blood, sweat, and tears.  The life of a Christian is not an easy road.  The truth is we don’t sign up for an easy road, we sign up for the retirement package.  We have a heavenly home awaiting us.  Every blessing reminds us that God sees our pain and He will respond to it.  He will bless those who wait on Him.

“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…” (Mt. 5:12)

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Forever Faithful

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Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them– the Lord, who remains faithful forever. (Psalm 146:5-6)

Lately, I have come across a few people who are hurting in many ways.  There are a lot of tough things going on in people’s lives.  One common theme is a desire to see God come through.  A desire to be victorious!  I think it’s so important to stop for a moment and look at God’s record of faithfulness.  I want to explore how faithful He has been and how faithful He will be.  God has a record of being faithful at least a Gazillion times.  More times than we will ever be able to count.

It’s hard to see His faithfulness at work in our lives at times because we see things from our perspective.  We see things unfinished, full of pain, agony, often bewildered by circumstances, and just frustrated by the lack of control we have.  We need to take our eyes off of the circumstances and put our eyes on the One who is in control!  The One who never steps off the throne, never says He’s too busy, never calls it quits, never says He’s having a bad day, so He can’t help us.  He is always there!  We just have to stop and become available.  Stop and listen!  Stop and allow Him to work!  Stop and get a new perspective on the current situation!  Let’s look at God’s record of faithfulness and compare it to our lives.  Let’s see how He has been faithful!

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Adding a Little Flavor

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“You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.  You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden…In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-14, 16)

This passage of Scripture calls us to be two very important things.  Let’s look at both of them and see how well we are doing.  Let’s get a handle on what Jesus was talking about when He brought this message forth in the Sermon on the Mount.

1.  Salt of the Earth (vs. 13

Salt was used in the ancient world to do a few things.  It was used to flavor foods, used in small doses as a fertilizer, but mostly it was used as a preservative.  The salt was rubbed into meat to keep it from decaying. Read more