Tag Archive for: Devotional

Living Hope

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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you. (1 Peter 1:3-4)

We should be taking every breath in praise to our Father God and His Son Jesus Christ.  Why would we miss an opportunity to praise the One who has created the heavens and the earth?  The One who gives us the air we breathe, the brain that makes it possible for our body to function, and the heart that pumps the blood through us.  God did every tiny thing and every big thing in our lives.  He certainly deserves our praise.  Our mouths should only open up to praise Him!

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Jesus Pizzazz

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…Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  You believe that there is only one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that–and shudder. (James 2:18-19)

There is a controversy that is taking place about what is more important:  faith or deeds?  One person may think they have it altogether because their faith is as strong as a cement wall.  Then you have the next person who thinks they have it altogether because the things they do for others are too numerous to count.  The author of this passage wants us to realize that faith and deeds belong together.  I must live by faith daily and in that faith I take action to lead a life of serving God.  In my service to God, I find many deeds to do along the way.  None of these deeds are to be recognized in and of themselves because they are nothing without my faith.  Let’s start at the beginning!

“…Show me your faith without deeds…”

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Mouth Jam

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If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. (James 1:26)

Wow!  Talk about a jam packed passage of scripture.  I don’t know how anyone can walk away from this passage without asking himself or herself if there is anything that needs to change.  There are some strong words in here that I would not want someone to use if they were describing my life.  Phrases like “he deceives himself” and “his religion is worthless.”  If you see yourself in one of these phrases, than it’s time to examine your heart and ask God to change you.  Let’s start at the beginning of the passage.

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The Perfect Romance

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Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. (James 1:22-24)

This is truly one of my favorite passages in the Word of God.  Just so you know, I have many favorites for all occasions.  This passage is my favorite because it reminds me I can’t truly know who I am, if I don’t study God’s Word.  And I certainly will never be able to know who God is, if I don’t study Him in the letters He wrote to me.  There are plenty of romance novelists trying to come up with the perfect novel and plenty of producers trying to create the perfect romance on screen.  I’ll let you in on a little secret… the reason they keep coming short of the greatest romance is because it’s already been written for you and I.  It’s all right here in the Word of God.  Just open it up and let it change your life.  The perfect romance has been set up from beginning to end.  Nothing has been left out!

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Springing into Action

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So—who is like me? Who holds a candle to me?’ says The Holy One. (Isaiah 40:25, MSG)

Have you ever been to a soccer, football, baseball, or hockey game and sat in the bleachers? Do you remember the feeling of cheering for your team? Do you remember when they made a mistake and how you might have wanted to step in and help them? Or maybe when they made a great score and you jumped for joy? Do you remember that moment in time?
I can think back to many of these moments in time, but in each one I was a spectator. I was sitting in the bleachers. I was on the bench. I wasn’t on the field or on the ice playing the game. I didn’t know the impact of scoring or the impact of making a mistake like the players did. Some of you are wondering where I’m going with this analogy, and I can tell you this has been running through my mind a lot lately. Read more