All in Daily Devotional
Are there things in our lives that distract us from focusing on Jesus Christ? We all know them when they occur... an unresolved argument that worries and distracts us during prayer, a problem with our home or automobile that nags at us when we sit to read and study scripture, or perhaps too many planned activities in our day that tempt us to place them before our worship. Is this your life?
Are you sad today? I am referring to the sadness that occurs when we realize that Jesus is asking us to let something go that we believe we are unable to give up or that is impossible for us. Perhaps it is our wealth, but maybe it is our poverty, or a habit that we can’t overcome and seems to own us.
Has Jesus ever given you a word? Has he asked you to do something that shook you or something you have convinced yourself couldn't possibly come from Him because it seemed impossible for you to accomplish? Well, think about this for a moment and then read on.
Would you recognize the voice of Jesus if you heard it? If He called your name would you know it was Him who was speaking to you? Sometimes there is no doubt, but many times we do not recognize Him. What if He came to you without your knowing, and in an instant He revealed all the moments in which He had previously come to you in your life, then you would most certainly recognize His voice, and know who was speaking to you.
We all need to have a personal relationship with God, not to just be casually aquatinted with Him, but to know Him intimately. Is your faith the product of listening to others speak of God, or do you have a deep personal experience with Him?
Have we ever stopped to consider that not every misfortune that we face in life is a Job moment, and put upon us by Satan? Some are just natural occurrences of living out our lives in this world while we exercise the lessons of faith that we have learned while walking through it with the Lord... And then, there are those which are the correction of our Father as he chastises us.
Does God speak to you every day? If your answer is “no, not every day”, are you certain of that? It is my experience that God seldom shouts out loud at us; His voice is gentle and requires a certain stillness of spirit if we are to converse with Him. Make it a point to silence yourself and listen for what scripture calls his small still voice… if you quiet yourself in this way, and do not quench the spirit, then you will find that in the silence that surrounds you His whisper will become like a shout.
Two individuals enter into a wedding ceremony, but God’s intention is that our vows begin the process of our becoming one flesh as our life together begins. This is a beautiful mystery, and it is fraught with hardship and challenge. Many think it occurs suddenly during the physical consummation of our union, but are we ready for the deeper spiritual joining that takes a lifetime to produce in us? Are we ready for the consuming fire of God that purifies and completes a marriage? Are we prepared to endure the fire and become one ash in the palm of God?
Are we ready to step forward in faith and assume new roles of serving God? Our inclination is to go only so far as new Christians, and then, if we are to proceed further, to fall dutifully under the tutelage of someone who becomes our spiritual mentor or role model. Eventually, God will reward our preparedness, and have us step beyond this comfortable season of being spiritually mentored, and cross into an even greater life with Him.
Are you suffering in or through something that God has called you to do? If so, how are you approaching your hardship? Does it cause you to question His presence in what you are doing, or are you experiencing pride in your suffering? Neither of these is a proper way to deal with your spiritual hardships because it makes His calling about yourself. Only a humble trust in God is the proper reaction.
What do we do when our memories fail us? Are there repercussions to forgetting? What are the certain things that Jesus asked us to remember, and are there particular things that God asks to be remember as well? Does God ever forget? Should we?
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 then call our faith. God is never here and then gone, but is with us always and in all things. Our Lord Jesus doesn't abandon us to our own devices only to return once we have sufficiently screwed things up... He is with us always, and our relationship with Him is meant to be our unwavering focus.
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?
08/05/2023 - The Simple Five Letter Answer to - "Why Lord?"
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 confuse or stump you? Well don't feel alone, and let's explore this mystery today.