The Spark, and Breath of Life

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Breath of God

I am certain that you have read, spoken, or heard words similar to these… “I have loved you from the moment you took your first breath.” Poets, songwriters, and lovers, like to use language such as this, but as beautiful as the sentiment might be it is based on a false understanding of how we begin our life on earth. In fact, we don’t take our first breath; we are given it. God breathes that breath of life into us, and then, with our spiritual and physical body running, we are able to continue on from there… but even so, we are never alone, nor are we without help from Him, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

Perfect in Love… Just Because

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Loving as God Loves

Have you ever not liked someone from the very moment you met them? Did you somehow sense that they were bad, did you think that you were incompatible, or maybe that there was something about them which was too much like yourself… some part of you that you didn’t like too much? Well God could have disliked us for all of these same reasons, and yet He loved us instead, and we should love others just as He first loved us… just because.

Receiving the Good and Perfect Gifts of God

Richard Forbes
Faded Faith , Christian , Daily Devotional , Spiritual Gifts

We are tempted to believe that what we have in the world is good, and that it is all we need, but that is simply not true. The earth and everything in it is fleeting, and is never truly ours. So why is it that we value it so much? Why do we surround ourselves with what the world offers us, and treat it as if it were perfect, or even good, when in fact we will die, and all we have accumulated will be lost? In this life the things we have will disappoint us. God’s gifts are always good, and perfect; they never lose their value, and are always glorifying Him as we use them. They are unchanging, and eternal in every way.

The Mysteries of God, and Construction of Our Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Mysteries of God

How is our faith constructed? Who are we without Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit? Wasn’t it God’s plan from our inception that one would come to us then the other? That we are saved, and redeemed by Christ, and led by the Holy Spirit, so that in this way we can once again walk with God, as Adam walked? Isaiah prophesied regarding the coming of Jesus, and it has come to be. He also told us that God’s Spirit would come to us, and that too is now true, but is there more than this? Is there a mystery to solve?

The Weight and Substance of our Prayers

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Prayer

As Saints we pray, and God hears us, but our prayers are much more than sound waves that rush outward, growing weaker and smaller, like the ripples of a stone cast into a pond, losing their momentum as they go until at last they lap like tiny ineffective kisses on some distant shore. No, our prayers are powerful, have substance, and are joined with incense before the throne of God. They are offered to Him, carried upward in Holy smoke that rises from a Golden censer… an offering made to God. Even the most insignificant of these becoming mighty as they precede the sounding of the seven trumpets, and protect the Saints from what follows.

Our Next Big Thing… Eternity

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Eternal Life

We are flighty creatures that lose interest in things easily, and move on to the next big one that catches our eye. For us to remain engaged in something, even the glory of God, we need unending motivation, and to constantly have our interests renewed. If we know this about ourselves in this life, and see it as a weakness, then do we fear all the more our ability to worship God for eternity? Can we possibly demonstrate a faithfulness that will allow us to love, praise, and bless Him always?

Our Life’s Story, and the Eternal Intercessor who tells it

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Eternal Intercession

We have talked a great deal this month about intercession, and we have read scripture that states that Jesus makes intercession for us before God, but we haven’t really considered the fact that Jesus lives forever, and that because of this, His intercession is without end. We, on the other hand, intercede for others during our lifetimes, so today, let’s look at what scripture says about the role He plays as our High Priest, not just during our lives on earth, but for all eternity.

Pray for the Enemies within the Church

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Enemies of the Church

There are many challenges that face the Church today, but none so great as those that have risen up within it. Pastors that are not called by God, but are thieves who see the Church as vulnerable, and its children to be easily abused and taken advantage of. False prophets who desire notoriety, and serve only themselves. Men of God who fall victim to their own lusts; having forgotten God, and how to pray. These, and others, have breached the Holy walls of the Church, put God’s people to shame, have dishonored Him, and stand as obstacles to the salvation of many.

Are we filled with the Fullness of God?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , The House of the Lord

David wrote and sang often in his psalms about living in the house of the Lord, and we realize that this was his great desire. Now as Christians our body has become the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the reality of God residing with us is more than David’s hope, or a distant dream… it is reality. To the Christian the question becomes this; do we long to live in God’s house (our bodies) with Him as David did, or do we treat Him like a guest that we love to see come, but whose leaving is a relief to us?

Being Transformed by our Faith, and the will of God

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God’s Will

When we first come to know Jesus, what are our desires? What is it that we want from the relationship that has drawn us to Him? When we pledge ourselves to follow Him, and go down in the waters of baptism, we begin a spiritual transformation that changes who we are, and it alters our initial desires as well. In this way, after we have walked with Jesus for a while, we find that perhaps some of our earlier wants were satisfied, but that a great many of them have fallen to the wayside… they fell victim to our change; our blossoming righteousness; our purification, and the will of God.

How Glorious it is to be the Temple of God

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Temple of God

Scripture tells us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and this is an incredible statement, and blessing for us. Once we understand what it means for Him to desire us to the point that He wishes to live within us there should be no greater longing than for us to love, and please Him always. As you go about your life do you keep the temple, your body, in good repair, free of sin? Do you maintain the sanctity of God’s residence and keep it Holy? We are not proclaimed to be a warm and comfortable cabin in the woods, a bright and fun vacation bungalow on the beach, a shack on the wrong side of the tracks in which we suffer, or the grandest of houses where we are pampered and waited on continuously by servants… we are a temple, meant to be a place of worship, a Holy place like none other, where we glorify the God of all creation, and serve Him righteously, all the days of our lives.

Will we be an “OK, but…” Christian when Christ returns?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Come Quickly Lord

When Jesus taught us to pray, the first thing He told us to pray for was that God’s kingdom would come, and then that His will be done on earth, just as it is in Heaven. We say these words when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, but do we really understand them, or truly want those words to be realized right now? Most Christians are perfectly happy to live out their lives here on earth with God answering a prayer here, and there, to make their lives bearable. They would even like to see His will be done so long as they can remain happily in the world, but is that what we should want, and pray for, or should we pray earnestly for Jesus to return NOW?

Rejoice, Pray, and Give Thanks Always

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Rejoice

Whether facing trouble, pain, or times of great joy, and happiness, as Christians we are told to rejoice always, and to keep our faith strong enough to succeed in doing so we are encouraged to pray without ceasing. By praying in this way we can face whatever circumstances confront us. Then, once we have learned to rejoice in whatever we have experienced, we are told to faithfully give thanks to God for it. This is how Jesus lived, and how he teaches us to live. His life demonstrates the manner in which we are to walk in our life of faith while rejoicing, and drinking from the cup of God’s will.

Spiritual Family traits, and being One in Faith.

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Family of Believers

It should hurt the heart of every Christian to see how divided we are in our faith, and in our world today, and in this regard there is no one who is innocent; not even the Church, that has so successfully divided itself. What will we answer in judgement when we are asked why we have lived our lives divided in this manner? Will we begin by telling God how someone did some certain thing to us, or we didn’t love another because they didn’t like us first? Maybe we will say that the church down the street doesn’t really love Him, nor Jesus, and give a trivial example related to what robes they wear while worshipping, or how they take communion too often, or not enough. I can hear God’s heartbreak as He says “REALLY?”

The Clear and Simple Message of Salvation

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Simple Salvation

When we deliver the gospel message do we do so in clear and simple terms that others can understand? Do we teach the Word of God by making it straight forward and like a straight and smooth road for new and old believers alike to follow? If a pastor cloaks his message in mystery, and delivers the Word in a way that makes him the key to unlocking it, then he is not serving the Lord, but himself. Paul went to prison for preaching a clear message of salvation, but many were saved. Are we ready to risk the ridicule of scholars by teaching God’s Word, and the gospel of Jesus in the language of the common man… of children?

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