Jesus the Transformer, and Seeing the Face of God

Richard Forbes
Daily Devotion, Healing, Christian

Have you ever realized that Jesus provides the life force that powers your soul, that he takes the current that flows from God, and transforms it into just the right wattage, and amperage for the spiritual motor that drives us? Certainly there have been those people that God has interacted with directly, but His current far exceeds our limited mortal capability. Jesus on the other hand provides for us all day long, everyday, without overpowering our spiritual senses. He is the transformer that adjusts the power of God to supply our spiritual engines... our daily lives

Our imperfect lives, and God’s perfect plan for us

Richard Forbes
God’s Plan, Will, Children, Daily Devotion, Christian

We get married, and if we are so blessed, then we have children. From the moment we decide to bring each of these new lives into the world we begin to make plans for them; we want the best for them. It is the same with God, and He has a plan for each of our lives; a plan made long before we were born... or even conceived. These plans, both ours and God’s, can only be accomplished if the child gives all their effort as they strive to know and do their parent’s will. Are you a fully engaged participant in God’s plan for you?

The Holy Spirit; He’s not a Reward

Richard Forbes
Comforter, Daily Devotion, Helper, Christian, Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit comes to us in two installments, the first is the one that leads us to God, and Jesus, and the second comes at some point after our conversion. There is no mandatory waiting period so you might have received both almost simultaneously. Do you have both inoculations, the initial injection, and then the booster? Did you even know of the Holy Spirit, or was it just a yearning for the Lord God that you felt, but couldn’t fully describe? Prayer is the way to the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and He is not a reward for righteousness, but rather a helpmate for our spirituality... especially in times of its greatest need.

Faith in God; Finding Answers to the Unfathomable

Richard Forbes
Leaning on God, Christian, Wisdom, Daily Devotion, Understanding

Do you really know what tomorrow will bring you? Oh you think that you can surmise it based on the events of today, but in fact we can not. Life is fluid and ever changing, and many things are understood only by God Himself. So how does not knowing tomorrow make you feel, less human or more human? Does not being able to fully understand the world or something in it turn you towards God, or cause you to feel alone and insignificant?

Following Jesus... Does the Throne of your Life smell like Fish?

Richard Forbes
Worship, Putting God First, Daily Devotion, Christian

Is there something in your life that keeps getting in the way of your faith in God? Is there something that distracts you during your day when you are trying to pray without ceasing, or which keeps you from studying God’s Word? Does your love for money stop you from donating to a food pantry, or perhaps occupies all of your time and prohibits you from burying the dead, or visiting the sick? Jesus asks us to identify these distractions that are coming before God, and remove them, just as he did with the wealthy ruler.

Jesus, our Champion in Intercession

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Intercession of Jesus

Have you given yourself to Jesus so that he might intercede for you in all that you do? Have you become His, just as much as you have become God’s? To be a child of God through Jesus Christ is more than giving yourself over physically, or mentally, but to also do so spiritually as well... our spirit becomes His, and He then goes to the Father in prayer for us in our entirety... not just when we ask directly for His intercession but in everything that makes up our lives.

The Eternal Blood Drive

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Healing, Jesus Christ, Blood

Have you ever donated blood? Have you gone down to the Red Cross and given because they said that they were running low and that people might die without it? Well, when you did this you probably did so because yes, it would help someone, and no, it wouldn’t harm you in any way to give. Likely, you didn’t think much about all those people who depend on you to share your blood with them... but Jesus did.

Strolling Openly in our Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Faith, Relationship, Openness

You are  a believer in Jesus Christ, and received the Holy Spirit who has given you certain gifts. Yet our tendency as human beings is to take this relationship and our gifts, and to keep them private between God and ourselves. Is this how you are in your faith? Do you have a relationship with God that is private and personal? Have you taken the instruction of Jesus to pray in secret, and applied this to the entirety of your faith? If so you are missing the fullness of living the faith.

Wresting the Church from the hands of man

Richard Forbes
Belief, Forgiveness, Doctrine, Hope, Church, Daily Devotion, Christian

So we have recognized that we were wrong in a practice or belief; perhaps we find that we have practiced something in faith that was of man, and not of God. What should we do? How should we face this, our failure, our material heresy? Are we doomed to a life of suffering, or to exist in a fallen state? No, we must pray for forgiveness, and then listen to Paul as he writes to the Philippians about himself.

Freedman, Servant, or Slave; How far will I go in my humility?

Richard Forbes
Humility, Daily Devotion, Slave, Servant, Christian, Servitude

How humble do you allow yourself to be before God? Do you maintain your freedom of self at all cost, maybe you sell yourself as a servant who works for a price, or are you totally owned as a slave? How far are you willing to go into your servitude, how far does your humility take you as you humble yourself at the feet of the Lord? Now let me ask this... how completely are you prepared to humble yourself before one another? Are you independent, a servant, or are you a slave to those around you?

Lord, Am I who I think I am?

Richard Forbes
Pain, Christian, Daily Devotion, Joy, Who Am I?, Trial, Suffering

How does hardship effect us, and specifically, how do we react to illness or calamity that threatens to take our life? Do we remain steadfast in our faith, or do we give up on God and believe only in our own demise? Suffering, and facing imminent death lays waste to the importance of all the things of life that once seemed so valuable to us, and whittles us down to just those that are central to our core... what is that for you? Do you even know?

Jesus, Language, and a New Song

Richard Forbes
Communion, Christian, Language, Togetherness, Daily Devotion, God’s Kingdom

I am writing to you today in English, but what is your native tongue? From what country, race, or people do you hail? There are those of so many different nationalities who will read this today, and even into the future; this is truly a missionary outreach to all the world. As Christians we know no borders, and there is no limiting language. The blood of Jesus Christ has made us as one, and brought us together by that common calling of which Revelation speaks... into the people and priests of one Holy Kingdom!

Into the Heart of the Child comes the Wisdom of the Father

Richard Forbes
Daily Devotion, Revelation, Childlike, Understanding, Study, Christian

Is studying the Bible and theology something that you do so that you can mine the truth from it? Do you read in order to gain an understanding of God’s embedded secrets? Are you seeking the title of “Bible Scholar?” If this is you let me encourage you to continue your studies, but remember to approach them in childlike fashion. Bring the heart and wonder of a child to the effort. Because God reveals his hidden wisdom from all but the children of faith... the childlike.

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