Our Testimonies and shared suffering

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Testimony and Suffering

We may have suffered much in our lives, but with that suffering comes the comfort of the Lord, and it often comes from the testimony and goodness of people who have endured what we are facing. Likewise, the hardships in our lives that produce great spiritual lessons and blessings, aren’t meant to cause us pain, but to give our Heavenly Father the opportunity to bring us relief, and to prepare us to pass that same relief on to others. We share the story of our grief and pain, then tenfold we share the joy and peace that follows. Do we use our moments of torturous trial to touch others? Do we use the relief and understanding from God that flows from those experiences to deliver that message of mercy to others who share our unpleasant experiences with us?

The Aroma of Life, Death and Jesus in Us

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Aroma of Jesus

God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are far more than spiritual thoughts that have no substance; they manifest themselves in the world every day through miracles, and by allowing us to experience them through visions, sound, touch, taste, and, yes, smell. Yesterday we discussed the sweet scent of anointing oil, the foul odor of death, and the fragrance of saints known as Osmogenesia, along with others. Today let’s continue this discussion of smell by delving into the aroma of Christ, and understanding how we ourselves are meant to carry it, and spread it throughout the world.

The Fragrance of our Anointing Oil

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Anointing Oil

Oil plays an important role in the lives of the believer, it is used to anoint the godly, heals us, lights our way, serves as an offering, brings us gladness, and has so many other uses. The question each of us should ask ourselves today is what manner of oil do we bring into the world around us? Is the oil we carry fragrant, holy, and filled with joy, or is it a thick black unrefined oil that might lubricate man’s machines, but stains all that it touches? So today let’s begin to ask ourselves each day what manner of oil we bring with us as we walk out into our day.

Are there Philips or Eunuchs in our Lives?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Philips and Eunuchs

God calls us together with unlikely people in unlikely places to bring His will to fruition through us. Philip was called from his bed to journey into a desert for mysterious purposes, but he went, and there he met someone that he had not previously known, a man who was seeking the Lord, and of all things this man was a eunuch; someone that the law prohibited from even entering the temple. Philip spoke with him, led him to believe, baptized him, and sent him on his way. History tells us that this man went on to establish the church in Ethiopia… one of the great churches in the world. Do we encounter people in our lives who God uses to do wonders for his kingdom, or who we become a spark to, as they go on to light the world afire with the gospel of Christ?

Guarding our Crown, our Church, and our Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Guarding Faith

In the book of Revelation the church at Philadelphia was told to hold fast to what they believed, and the faith they had. They were warned that if they did not then someone might seize their crown. These warnings are just as valid for us today, because the glory, and the danger of having it snatched from us is just as real. The dark one is still in the earth, and he rages with the same determined intensity. Even today he snarls and reveals his teeth, and his appetite for souls remains insatiable. Are we holding fast to the hand of Christ, and guarding our own crown as if Satan himself were trying to rip it from us?

Testing the Purity of our Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Discerning Faith

How sad that man so often goes his own way and chooses his own direction by his will alone. How tragic that he will rise from his bed, and set out into the morning, without a single word being spoken with God, with his attention being absorbed in the world, and his path being directed solely by his own thought and shortsightedness. This is counter to the life man should follow, and that Jesus taught us to walk; no cross does he pick up, no suffering does he see, and yet his burden is destined to become great, while pain and death await him with certainty. Who are we to know the way, forgive our own transgressions, and receive eternity by our own will and command? We are called to seek God and love Him above all else… where is our heart, our mind, and our soul? Who is it that gives us strength if not God? How pure is our faith?

Quiet Places, and Inadequate Words - We are never alone

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Alone

How much time do we spend alone in a quiet place by ourselves? When we think back on such periods of solitude what were we contemplating during them? For the Christian we are spending this time in deep and peaceful conversation with God; sometimes without a word spoken. When we do speak during these periods of calm and quiet, we not only hear His small still voice but we speak to Him in one as well. All of the turmoil, and the loud voices of everyday life, are stilled. We discuss our problems and seek His help, but it is with the assurance that He is there, and will lead us through them, even providing us with an escape.

God’s Eternal Gifts, Blessings, and Promises

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Eternal Blessings

God blesses us and we are thankful for our blessing, but does God’s commitment to His blessing end once it is given? Does the Lord bless us and then simply walk away? Sarah had a son but her blessing didn’t end there. It continued when the Lord provided a sacrifice for him later in life as Abraham was preparing to sacrifice him. Again, when God gave the Shunammite woman a son at Elisha’s request it didn’t end there either… later in his life he died, and God raised him from the dead for her. Our blessings are not simply events… they have eternal lives and continue on. Do we believe, and have confidence in this, or do we see our blessings like lightening in the sky that flashes and then is gone? The Shunammite woman didn’t see her blessing as having an expiration date… do we?

Building Character through Suffering

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Character

We build character by facing trials and tribulations, and no one knows this better than the Christian. Our suffering hardens us in our belief, and builds up the resolve we have in our faith. Surviving our individual tribulations opens our eyes to the true character of Christ. However, our joint suffering with Him, and with one another, will bring us together as one; one in love, one in forgiveness, one in our faith, and one in every character trait of Christ that reflects the Father. Do we value who Jesus is enough to suffer with Him so that we will become as He is… free of imperfection?

Do we observe the Sabbath?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Sabbath

Do we rest on the Sabbath? On the seventh day do we lay down our instruments of labor, close our businesses, and rest as our God rested, or do we look for excuses to disobey? On the Sabbath we aren’t meant to rest from life, but from our works. We don’t cease worship or abandon those things we have built or created, no, we simply do as God did… we rest following the completion of our labor. We don’t gather herds, build homes, or prepare the dead, but we still tend to them.

What is the Life we are given as Christians?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Life

Many Christians take pride in the successes they have in life, and use those to gauge the strength of their faith, but is that a true measure? If we believe as we should, and do those things that God desires of us, is our reward an earthly one? Well, earthly treasure is not the measure that a person of faith should use, and we are warned that we are to look elsewhere. God tells us that He gives us life, but even as we are reading His Word Satan tries to twist our understanding of it.

The Nature of God’s Discipline in our Lives

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God’s Discipline

Have we been spared the rod by our Heavenly Father, and not been disciplined when correction was called for? If so, are we true children of God or just fatherless orphans? When our Lord disciplines us it is never for the sake of punishment, but to teach us how to be more like Him. It is not so that we will learn to survive in a hard world, but to thrive in heaven above…. To become righteous and holy in our behavior, not hellions, or rabble rousers in the streets.

God our Healer, and the Author of our Health

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Healing

We all know the old saying that time heals all wounds, but as hopeful as that sounds it is not as true as we are asked to believe. In fact, the sole healer of all wounds is God. Time and natural processes might heal a wound to a degree, but it always leaves behind a telltale scar. God, on the other hand, heals us perfectly, and our scars are gone, replaced with the remembrance of the wounds of Christ.

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