When do we rejoice and when do we mourn? Is there really a spiritual separation or difference? Are we meant to give God the glory for the good times and ignore or blame Him for the bad or painful ones?
All in Daily Devotion
When do we rejoice and when do we mourn? Is there really a spiritual separation or difference? Are we meant to give God the glory for the good times and ignore or blame Him for the bad or painful ones?
Living our lives with Jesus is more than attaching a series of disjointed moments that have been separated by periods of time in which He is absent into something we call faith. God is never here and then gone, but with us always and in all things. Our Lord Jesus doesn't abandon us to our own devices only to return once we have screwed things up... He is with us always.
When should we pray? Do we even know what to pray for? These sound like easy questions to answer and indeed one of them is... do you know which one? If I asked you to kneel with me right now, how would you begin?
Is what God is doing , or not doing, in your life a frustrating mystery? Do you pray for a certain thing over and over again, but it doesn't seem to be heard? How about the troubles in your life; does God's plan for you regarding them stump you? Well don't feel alone, but let's explore this.
Is your relationship with God all you have of value in your life? Have you given up self to Him, or do you think you are a bargain for God at any price? The least thought that we might be of value, of service, to the Father removes us from His hand.
Has God called you to Himself, or is He calling you this morning? By virtue of the fact that you have chosen to read this devotional lesson I would say He has. Maybe you thought you were choosing Him, but in fact He has chosen you. Does this thought surprise you, or even frighten you?
Are you experiencing hardship in your life right now? Is there a problem at work, a health issue, the loss of a loved one? There are so many issues that plague us in life, and being a Christian doesn't exempt us from them... but it does help us through them.
Does Jesus preach in your city? God often tells us to do a certain thing; to reach out to someone, or to establish a church in some place, but once we experience the power of that happening, we are inclined to remain there in that moment or place. How often do we get in God's way once the job is done? How often does Jesus come to take the pulpit only to find us there?
Am I steadfast in my faith? Am I allowing God to work in me that I might be perfected and brought to completion? These are my thoughts for this morning and I invite you to join me in them.
Are you holding back from opening up to God until you have perfected yourself? Are you waiting for the time when you have become perfectly pure in thought before you seek to have a relationship with Jesus? If so you will never know them. They understand what and who you are, and yet they love you despite of it, let God begin the process of reshaping you.
Are there clouds in your life, and if so what do they look like? Are they the big billowy white ones of a bright summer day? How about the thin wispy ones that stretch out as if forever? Or, are they the dark churning clouds that tower into the sky filled with lightning and ominous rolls of thunder? God is in the clouds... how does He come to you today?
My goal is to live in my faith for this particular moment. Looking into the future distracts me from the here and now, and what God has for me to do right this minute. Do you have long term spiritual plans that take up most of your time and prayer? Well, drop your sail and look at what God has surrounded you with at this particular point in time!
There is a standing argument in the church regarding whether it is better to serve God intellectually or from the heart. We have heard the arguments from each side, but in truth it matters little... what matters most is that we hear God's Word and obey.
Are you a slave to instinctive reflexes... this is a recipe for instant sin, and an avenue for our inner person, the fallen man, to bypass our faith and intellect as it erupts from our mouths. Conquering this ancient creature within each of us requires chains that only the Holy Spirit can bind with.
Am I blessed as Jesus said I would be when He taught the Beatitudes? Do I see them as simple precepts for life, or does their spiritual undercurrent shake me? These very easily followed rules for living can improve the life of an unbeliever, or elevate a person of faith to a dramatically higher spiritual plane.