All in Daily Devotion
We receive the blessing of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ. It is in this way, through our faith in Jesus, that we also receive the Holy Spirit. So once again the power of faith, and specifically our faith in Christ, and His ability to save us from the law, quickens us. Are you prepared for the reformation of the law, by placing total faith in Jesus, and to receive both the blessing and the Spirit this allows us?
There are two parts to spiritual salvation, and there are two parts to the salvation of countries, churches, and peoples. The first part changes who we are, and the second part fills us with God’s essence. We find Jesus Christ who renews us, and then we receive the Holy Spirit which is the understanding of God. Do you have both? Is your country prepared to be fixed and restored to God?
Do you believe that you have discovered Jesus Christ based on some historical writings and empirical evidence? In fact your journey to Him has been carefully orchestrated by God the Father who has called you to Himself and His Son. You have been called, and drawn to Jesus by God, but once you find yourself at the door it is up to you to knock.
Do you really know how to wait upon the Lord? Sometimes we are so busy in our lives that we forget what it means to be absolutely still. We forget what it means to quiet our minds and just listen to the breath of the world around us, and for God who moves it with His hand.
Today is Christmas Day, and all of Christianity is celebrating the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, but on this day, and at this time, we are waiting once again, not for His birth, but for His triumphant return. Yet, in His absence He has sent another... the Holy Spirit. He is our helper, and declares to us the truths that are of our Lord Jesus, and the Holy Father. Have you opened your eyes to Him?
You confessed your sins, accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, and were baptized. You felt the joy of that moment of great faith and salvation as it ripples through you and lifted you high, but what have you done in the months and years since? What place Has your faith taken in your life; has it fallen to second place, third place, or further than that? To Jesus you are still as important and loved as the moment you first believed... can you say the same about Him?
How do you believe? Do you believe because you have leaned on your own understanding, and reasoned Jesus Christ to be true, or do you believe because your heart has led you to him? Faith and belief that flow from our own reasoning places God in the realm of man, but faith and belief welling up into us out of the depths of our hearts is delivered from the realm of God through Jesus Christ. Who rules your faith?
Are you born again in the hope and resurrection of Jesus Christ? If so do you go through periods when you are vexed by suffering and calamity in your life? Does this cause you to confront your faith, and if so does it challenge it, or strengthen it? Many of us seem to believe that when Jesus steps into our lives we cease to feel the pain and suffering of living in the natural world, but is that really the promise?
Do you want to improve your prayer life, to pray in joy, to pray without ceasing, or to find the ear of God with your words... but try as you might you fall short of during your attempts? Do you find yourself going through the motions as you retreat to your prayer closet only to return empty and unsatisfied? Perhaps the problem isn’t in your praying at all... perhaps it is in your faith.
Do you feel inadequate in faith, spirituality, and in what you do for the Church? If so then let me ask you a very simple question... how is your prayer life? If our prayer time is weak and disjointed; sometimes good but often forgotten, then this may be the root of the problem. Prayer isn’t simply a time to give the Lord your wish list... it is the root of our relationship, and the source of our strength.
You are a believer in Jesus Christ, and you do your best to order your life by His teaching, but do you believe, truly believe, that He forgives your sins? If you do, if you believe in who He is, and you believe that He is capable of forgiving your sins, then why is it that you can’t forgive yourself, and let those sins go? Why is it that you continue to carry the guilt of having sinned when God has decided not to remember them?
Am I obedient? This is a question that on its surface seems so simple, you would think it would be answered with either a yes or no, but perhaps the confusion is in the question, and how we ask ourselves. The more appropriate question is “Am I obedient in the way that God would have me be?” Do we play the “Army Game” with God?
Do you speak and walk with Jesus every day? Is He your constant companion, and closest friend? We should be close to Him every single moment, and yet, how often we, as Christians, wander off on our own and forget to call on Him. How often we just pack up our things and walk off on our own for periods of time. Have you done this? Does looking down at the nail holes in your hands remind you of who you are, and lead you home?
Are you a humble person, just playing with the notion, or do you actually make no pretense at it whatsoever? Humbling ourselves is a foundational element of the Christian faith, and yet it is also a human trait that many people see as being a weakness, and unbecoming. Friends... humility and weakness are not synonymous... being humble before God allowed Jesus to take His place on the cross, but that wasn’t weakness... it was a strength of love that few of us can understand, much less realize in our lifetimes.
Do you have a loved one who is sick today, perhaps even unto death? Have you done all that you know how to do for them? In desperation have you at long last uttered a prayer to Jesus asking Him for a healing? Maybe this sick one is you. If this is happening in your life then surrender yourself to Jesus Christ, praying first for faith, and belief... this is the ointment that heals us.