Singing Thanks for all the World to Hear

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Thanking God

It’s Tuesday, and we are drawing closer to the day when we will celebrate a national day of Thanksgiving in the United States of America, but thanking God is not something that should be particular to any certain country or people, but to all the earth. Believers should be letting not only their families and neighbors know what God has done for them, but sharing this with all people everywhere. Today let’s sing praises to the Lord, and do so loudly enough for the whole world to hear, so that our voices will invite every man woman and child to join us in faith.

Remembering So That We can Give Thanks

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Thanking God

Today is Monday, and on Thursday of this week we here in the United States will give thanks to God. It is a national holiday during which we thank Him again for another year of His provision, and mercy, but many who are new to faith, have become routine in their practices, or don’t know Him at all, are at a loss as to how to really do this. So, beginning today, and each day through Thursday I will write more about giving thanks to God. Today let’s talk about the first step… remembering, and witnessing to others.

Our Celebration of Life after Death

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Death’s Sting

The mourners gather and hearts break when a loved one passes from this life to the next, but when the deceased is a Christian believer, and the mourners take possession of the victory that has been won, then although their hearts might be sad, their souls rejoice as they share in the victory claimed in that triumphant moment. We mourn for a season, but claim victory in the promise of eternity.

Serving God by Doing His Will

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Serving God

Has the Lord ever called upon you to do a work for Him? If you believe in Him then most certainly, He has, because there is always a spiritual job to be done and serving Him is doing His will. Most labor has a beginning, and an end, but occasionally we are asked to do something that only begins, and whose end we cannot see. If we have been asked to do one of these never-ending works, it can wear on us over time, and we can grow tired, but two things are certain… the Lord will always give us the strength to carry on, and our work will never be in vain.

Taking No Offense in Jesus

Richard Forbes
Christian , Devotion, Offense

Are we blessed in the relationship we have with Jesus Christ? When John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus whether He was the Messiah that they had been waiting for, Jesus told them to recount for John all the miracles He had performed, and that He preached the good news, but then He said something quite different… He told them to tell John that those who were not offended by who He was would be blessed.

Can We Bless God?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Comfort

Do we pray blessings upon God during our prayers, and bless Him by our actions as we live out our lives? Perhaps this perplexes us because we don’t know how it could be possible for us to give anything, much less a blessing, to Almighty God the creator and possessor of all things? So what are we to do, or what do we have that we should find valuable enough to consider a blessing for God?

God chooses us, our Calling, and His Will for Us

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Calling

What has God chosen us to do, and how does it relate to the promises He has in store for us? We can go to work every day and do something we are only mediocre at, and then go home and paint a masterpiece on a piece of canvas. Perhaps we work all weekend long planting flowers in our yard, and notice that they never look as good as our neighbor’s, but the maintenance we do to our house outshines every other home on our street. It is the same in faith, sometimes the pastor wants us to serve on the church board and we are miserable at it, but when we teach a class it is pure joy, and people line up to be in our class. Do we simply meet a need that we think serves us best, or has God chosen us for a task that serves His will?

Do we Know Why God Loves Us?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God’s Love

Who are we that God would care for us, and love us so? Given how small and insignificant we are in comparison to our Lord, the creator of all things, what is it that he sees in us? Are we simply a creation that He has taken a liking to, or is there more to us, and a deeper origin of His love? Does He love us just because He can’t do otherwise? No, looking at the detail in His creation it is hard to fathom that He does anything without great purpose and forethought… so why? This is a great mystery, and a question David asked long ago in Psalm 8; a question that we continue to ask ourselves today.

Making Excuses for God when Miracles are Slow Coming

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Faith

As men and women we tend to look at our problems and seek to resolve them ourselves, but as Christians we are meant to look at our problems, especially those that we believe are insurmountable, and ask God to take them. The worldly see the problems we face, and they are quick to rob God of the glory when He works for us, and they can explain away our rescue, but when God does the impossible, He becomes undeniably real to those who were once doubters. So shouldn’t we praise Him in our darkest and most violent storms because it is here that the Lord can use our rescue as undeniable evidence to those who do not believe? It is here that our faith is strengthened, and our hope made real… even to us.

God’s Love overcomes His Wrath

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Returning To God

Have we wandered from the Lord our God, and worshipped one or more of the many worldly gods that entice us? Have we sought delight in power, wealth, or possessions, and for all our worldly successes, found ourselves lacking? If this is who we are then it is time to return to the Lord and become complete in Him. His anger with us has been overcome, and put to rest, on the cross at Calvary, and we can return to live once more in the merciful comfort of His shadow. Through our faith in Jesus Christ we are made to blossom again.

Have our places of Prayer all but Disappeared?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Fading Prayer

We go to our mountains, our upper rooms, and our quiet places to pray because we feel close to God there, and feel like we are doing what Jesus Christ taught us, but something else occurs here… we are transformed spiritually, and often times physically. Jesus was strengthened at Gethsemane, and changed in appearance when on the mountain with Moses and Elijah. What is it about us that is changed in our prayer closets, quiet places, and on our own sacred mountains? What occurs within us in our close moments of prayer with God, and during our peaceful walks with Jesus down our own thoughtful roads to Emmaus? Do we visit these places with great expectation? Do we anticipate the quickening, and joy of an encounter with the divine?

Can we give up everything for Jesus?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Selling All

We would go hungry to feed our children, or thirsty to quench a dying friend’s thirst, but what are we willing to do without for the sake of Jesus Christ, or our Heavenly Father? What degree of discomfort would we be willing to face? Moses led the Israelites for 40 years in the desert, but would we walk a few short miles to church? Abraham was willing to place Isaac on the altar as a sacrifice, but are we willing to give our favorite suit of clothes to charity if the Lord asked this of us? Paul risked his eternal soul when he abandoned a life dedicated to following the law, and followed Jesus instead, so let’s ask ourselves what we would be willing to risk, give up, or what hardship we would endure for our faith.

Is God Disciplining us, or Punishing Us?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Discipline

As believers in Jesus Christ we are the children of God, and as such He loves us. As His children He has taken upon Himself the responsibility for our upbringing, and maintaining our wellbeing. This responsibility extends beyond simply clothing, feeding, and housing us… it includes our spiritual education, and discipline as well. God disciplines us to teach, and train us, which is different than punishing us which comes as a form of retribution. Discipline is administered to those we love, while punishment is put upon those who have harmed, or acted against us in some way. As believers we are disciplined by God our Father.

Dwelling as a Family Unified in Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Conflict

We claim to be brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, and yet we argue, and even deny one another’s faith. Nothing can destroy an individual congregation, or the greater Church, quicker than if it becomes divided. There are points on which we might disagree, but are they significant enough that we believe that they would prevent us from receiving the promise of eternity? Are we willing to harm the family of God over a childish point, or our own sense of pride and stubbornness?

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