Being perfected, perfect, and becoming Jesus

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Perfect in Jesus

It is our great desire to pick up our cross and follow Jesus, but to what end are we following Him? Should our goal be to reach Heaven, to obtain eternal life, or to be taught how to live a better life? No, although these are all excellent and expected goals, and we are meant to reach them, the answer is no, our ultimate aspiration should be to become Christ, to join with all the other parts that are His body, His being, and to become who He is. Do we feel like we are advancing towards that ultimate moment when we will see our reflection, and it will be indistinguishable from our Lord Jesus Christ? Will we have been made perfect… perfect in love, perfect in obedience, and perfect in every way as He is?

Our Bubble of Holiness within a fallen World

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Good News for the World

Before we come to know, believe, and have faith in Jesus Christ we are part and parcel of the fallen world, but once we answer the call of God, who draws us to Himself through His Son Jesus, then we change, and our world changes. We find ourselves set apart from the fallen world that we once knew; it is as if we are caught up, and floating through it surrounded by a clear bubble of faith, able to see it, but insulated from it in a miraculous way. Oh how we long for the day when the fallen world we have left behind will be changed, and our bubble of holy righteousness will engulf it entirely… when the whole earth will be filled with His glory. Is this our prayer, for a glorious and redeemed world? Do we pray the final words of Revelation? “Come Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.” Amen

God is with us in our Joy… and Pain

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God’s Empathy

What has the Lord done for you recently? Was it marvelous? Powerful? Did He save your life, or the life of someone you love? How about your soul… was it lost until He sent Jesus to redeem it? Salvation, what an amazing feat that was… God’s right hand, and holy arm, working together to redeem us, to purchase us for Himself. Well what if He walked you into the valley of the shadow of death, and brought you face to face with it while your last breath lingered on your lips… would your final exhale be a new song, or prayer to Him? Our answer should be ”YES!” Let’s talk about why.

Power and Peace are a World Away

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Fear Not

In this age of discord, division, pandemic, and rampant sin in the earth, it is only human that a person dwelling in this place would be afraid, feel out of control, and believe themselves to be at the mercy of these circumstances, but as believers, Christians see the truth, and say “Fear not, and take heart!”. As Christians we are not to consider ourselves ruled by the happenings of this world, but are patient citizens of Heaven who await lovingly, with control over our fears, for the day when we will return to our Father’s Kingdom. If we live our earthly lives in fear, or by believing it has something to offer us, then we have been deceived, for all real love and power rests with our Father… not here in this fallen world.

The Power of Scripture is in the Living

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Witness , Living Scripture

How do we witness regarding the living Christ? We can quote scripture, and this is good because it was written for this purpose, but we should also fold those same scriptural lessons, and stories, into our everyday lives, making them a part of our life, because this is the essence of having a relationship with God, and Jesus Christ. This is how we convey the nature of a living God; by what is witnessed in our lives. Our belief is not in a lifeless spiritual medicine, but is a whole, living, God who works within us to transform us, and redeem our us through His Son. This is the testimony of our lives with Christ, and it brings our relationship with Jesus to life for others to see. The power of scripture is in our living it out.

Defending our Faith and Hope in Jesus

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Defending our Faith

Even in countries that are predominately Christian we are called to defend Jesus Christ, and our faith in Him. When we talk about the act of defending it can be accomplished in many ways like witnessing about our belief, telling of the miraculous nature of Christ, defending in argument the presence of God, and thus establishing the Sonship of Christ, revealing that He has redeemed us, defending His righteousness, and making convincing argument that He is perfect and free of sin while speaking of His love, suffering, and sacrifice for us. The challenging questions are these… are we ready to defend Him, and do we take every opportunity to do so?

Finding Rest and Peace in our Lives

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Peace , Rest

When we are unsettled and troubled during our days, and unable to sleep at night due to tossing and turning, where do we go for comfort; to whom do we turn for resolution, and rest? Are we tormented by sin? Is our soul uneasy due to our separation from God? Does God’s Will escape us? Or, are we simply unable to find the root of our discomfort; being unaware of what causes us to feel this way? Whatever the reason, and whether day or night, our soul can be calmed, and satisfied through an exploration of God’s Word, our leaning upon it, and through the good news of Jesus Christ as we meditate upon His life, death, resurrection, and promised return.

Has the Holy Spirit been set free within us?

Richard Forbes
Council and Advice, Ordinary Time, Christian , Daily Devotional , Call , Holy Spirit

As believers, and Christians, we focus, and pray, to God and Jesus Christ, but too many of us neglect the importance, and power, of the Holy Spirit in our prayers, praise, worship, and indeed, every aspect of our faith lives. We lean on God’s Word with the limited understanding of men, yet without the true understanding the Spirit brings, we intercede alongside Jesus without the direction and remembrance of our helper, the Spirit, and when our hearts are overwhelmed, and our prayers begin to fall silent as a result, we forget to ask for the comforter’s help… for the Spirit to step in and pray for us.

How do we go about waiting on God?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Waiting on God

As He prepared to ascend, Jesus told the apostles to stay in Jerusalem and wait on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He reminded them that God had promised this, so they stayed, and waited. We are told to wait quite often in our lives as Christians, but we are an eager bunch, and waiting is not one of our strong features. Too often we begin to move before the waiting has concluded, and when we do so then the results that were intended by God don’t come to fruition, and we complain about how God didn’t keep His promise, or didn’t keep it fully. We might not make this accusation aloud, but it is evident in our demeanor. So how can we avoid making God look bad, or at very least, inadequate in such situations?

Do we Quake before God because of our Sins?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Facing our Sin, and Jesus

In the book of Acts we read Peter’s sermon, and he makes it clear who Jesus was, and who the people had put to death on Calvary by shouting “Crucify Him!”. What fear they must have felt when they finally realized what they had done, because they were people who lived under a law that called for retribution… an eye demanded an eye in return. So, was there any wonder why they didn’t want to acknowledge who Jesus truly was? Why they resisted the truth of the Messiah? Do you fear Him today for the same reason? Do your sins cause you to quake, and to call His gospel a myth? Well, let your fear be stilled because if you will only believe, then your sins will be forgiven by His blood, and you will be made pure before God.

Are we ready to experience Heaven?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Heaven

During the life of Jesus leading up to the crucifixion He taught us many things, but in the forty days after His resurrection Jesus remained with His disciples and taught them, and us, about the kingdom of God. What a lesson it was. Today we look to the sky, and long for the second coming, we look forward to our resurrected bodies, meeting the likes of Moses and Elijah, walking through walls, our tears being dried, and so much more, but before this all occurs we have a few things to do. Are we ready?

Confronting Stress, Worry, Sadness, and their Effect on our Health, and Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Stress, Worry, and Sadness

In today’s modern world we are confronted by change on every side, and the pace of that change can seem overwhelming at times, yet the real challenge isn’t recognizing the individual changes, or reacting quickly to today’s problems, the greatest difficulty for us is in coping with the anxiety and worry that comes along with them. We know that scripture tells us not to worry, and to find peace in Christ, and yet despite this promise, we often can’t seem to escape these feelings. The tightness in our chest remains, the hopelessness courses through us, and the fear causes us to feel massive releases of adrenaline; all of which work together over an extended time to harm us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. So how do we overcome these difficulties, and find the promised calm and peace again?

Doing Business with Jesus Christ

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Christian Business

As followers of Jesus Christ are we able to reveal His character in everything we do, to be gentle, courteous to others, and to be submissive to authority? Do we go through our days reacting with love towards those who are in need, and readily doing good works to glorify God? How many times have we seen those who profess Jesus as their Lord and Savior speaking ill of someone, or ignoring the sick, the hungry, the naked, or the thirsty? How is it that they neglect these things when even a moral man who doesn’t know God, or believe in Jesus would act to remedy them? As we walk through the world today let’s pay close attention to our behavior, demeanor, and how often we show mercy to others, and let’s take count of how often our Christian life enhances our witness, and leads to Christian conversations.

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