Perfected in the Jar of Jesus

Richard Forbes
Living, Life, Communion, Jesus, Christian, Faith, Daily Devotion

Do you dwell on who Jesus Christ is? When asked about Him do you tell of what He did, how He redeemed you, and taught you things like loving your neighbor as yourself? These things are all true, but do you also tell them that He is the jar that holds the essence of your life, the container in which you dwell? Do you reveal to them that He has so changed you that He has become engrained in your very DNA; so completely intertwined that to extract Him would certainly certainly destroy you? If you can tell them this, then your faith has become the fullness of Christ, and you are no longer about Christ, but in Him.

Listening for the Voice of God

Richard Forbes
Prayer, Christian, Voice, Daily Devotion, Dreams, Listening, Visions

Do you speak with God in prayer? Does His voice come to you and direct you, or do you approach Him with a list of wants and a proclamation then follow them quickly with “Amen” without listening? If God isn’t speaking to you then perhaps you need to first believe that He will, and that He desires to. Not believing that God wants to speak with you is an indication that you don’t really know Him.

The Summit of our Lives; the Crown of Eternity

Richard Forbes
Forgiveness, Redemption, Salvation, Eternal Life, Grace, Daily Devotion, Christian

When we look at life we know that there is only room for one God, person, or thing at the pentacle of it. When we look at ourselves we don’t see a Mesa, or a plateau, we see a peak... the spire that is our ultimate point of existence. So what will we place there? What will occupy the highest point in our life, will it be the God of Abraham, Jesus Christ, some created form of mock spirituality, financial success, physical prowess, or another worldly desire? The decision must be made, and the champion of our lives placed at the crest.

NOW, the Moment of Dread, the Moment of Infinite Hope

Richard Forbes
Jesus, Choice, God, Now, Christian, Daily Devotion, Salvation

What is the state of your life right now? Are you proud of where you are in your faith at this very moment? When you address your actions of the past, even the last few hours, how do they make you feel right now? We hate the word “now” because it requires immediate action. We put off changing our lives, we neglect a marginal faith, we postpone a look at where and who we are. We say, tomorrow I will begin to __________. How do you complete this sentence within the bounds of your life? Jesus says NOW is the accepted time.

Princes, Principalities, and the Harbinger of Mercy

Richard Forbes
Mercy, Rest, Peace, Assurance, Judgement, Daily Devotion, Christian

Do you fret over the condition of the country and this world? Do you wring your hands and cry out “Lord! Lord! Look at what is being done and the harm there is to your people!” Well if you do, then stop! Ours is to trust in Him who created all things, and to leave princes and principalities to He who established them. We are like the grasses that cover the earth. We may brown with drought, but we have faith in the showers. The trees will wither and die, but the grass returns with the rain, dark clouds and lightning are the harbinger of mercy.

Secret Prayers, Secret Places, and the Song of Life

Richard Forbes
Secret Prayer, Christian, God, Music, Daily Devotion, Song, Quiet

Do you wake up in the morning with a song of faith in your mind and a melody on your lips? Is it a lyric that only God could ever put together, and you know right away that it is the ballad of your life today? I like to listen to music alone in a quiet place with my earbuds in, and my eyes closed; it moves me. Prayer is meant to be like that... a quiet place, a still about you, the earbuds of prayer carrying Christ’s voice into your ears, and the lyrics of heaven softly ushering you before the throne. Is this how you pray?

The Voice of Living Water; “Come!”

Richard Forbes
Living Water, Daily Devotion, Christian, Calling, Call, Holy Spirit

Do living waters flow from you? Are you filled with the Holy Spirit as Jesus had said, and become the source of a flood... not a trickle, but rivers of living Water? If you are able to contain the desire to spread the good news of the gospel, then you have not yet found the source of the waters that Jesus spoke of, and there is more for you to believe will come. These are the waters of life which will be offered by both the Spirit and the bride of Jesus Christ.

The Checkbox of Faith and Religion

Richard Forbes
Teaching, Family, Faith, Daily Devotion, Christian

What shape is your home in? I am not talking about the condition of the physical house you live in, but rather the spiritual roof you and your family live under. Are you providing a sound structure of faith that will shelter and protect you and your family for generations to come? As parents we must first look after our own faith and salvation, but then we must provide an example and instruction for our children. What shape is your spiritual house in today?

From the Suffering Crowd comes Praise

Richard Forbes
Suffering, Holiness, Faith, Daily Devotion, Righteousness, Christian, Hardship

Do you think God has abandoned you when you are in a season of suffering in your life? Do you look to Him and cry out in anger at your pain? Does doubt come from your strife, or, even the mere endurance of hardship... or do you trust in Him all the more? There is a mystery in suffering; we wonder why God uses adversity and pain to teach us some of faith’s most valuable lessons.

The Great Intercessor

Richard Forbes
Daily Devotion, Intercession, Prayer, Christian

How do you view those who don’t know God and who have no relationship with Jesus Christ? Do you walk past them and look for a tender spot in the heart of others, or do you begin to pray for their salvation? When a fellow believer falls on hard times, do you say a quick prayer and then go about your life, or do you sincerely pray for their relief every day? We say we want to be like Jesus and yet so many of us don’t follow Him in one of His most basic characteristics... we don’t intercede in prayer for others. Jesus is the Great Intercessor.

Communion; the Roux of Life and Love Everlasting

Richard Forbes
Communion, Christian, Love, Sacrifice, Joy, Heaven, Daily Devotion

What nourishes your faith? What does you Spirit consume for strength? When we go to the Lord’s table we are feeding our souls His flesh and blood, and this sustenance bring us life, eternal life. To consume the body of Christ is to bring Him inside us... to allow Him to dwell within us. Communion, it is the life giving force of the Christian experience.

Morning Prayer... What’s Your Excuse?

Richard Forbes
Prayer, Christian, Daily Devotion, Psalms, Morning

How do you begin your day? When the alarm clock sounds, or you just wake up of your own volition, what are the things of your morning routine? Mornings are a special time. The world is fresh, and indeed so are we; so how do you greet the new day? Do you wash your face, Shower, dress, get a cup of coffee, or make breakfast? Where in your routine have you relegated prayer? Where is your time of devotion? When do you greet God? Is it first, last... at all?

Ash Wednesday; Am I Living for or in Jesus Christ?

Richard Forbes
Sanctification, Holy Spirit, Lent, Daily Devotion, Christian, Wilderness

Do you stand at the foot of the hill and listen to Jesus teach? Do you watch Him enter Jerusalem and celebrate the fact that you know Him? Are you in the upper room and marvel at His foot washing and the words surrounding the bread and the wine? Well all of these things are amazing and wonderful but in each case you are a bystander, yet when you are filled with the Holy Spirit then suddenly the life of Jesus moves from before your eyes to a place deep within you. You cease being a watcher, a marginally practicing Christian, and become one with Christ.

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