Can We Be Holy and See the Lord?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Being Holy

We read in scripture that we are to strive for peace with everyone so that we can see the Lord, and we think that maybe with our own effort we can accomplish this, but along with that it is written that we should also strive for holiness, and we have no idea how we can possibly become holy. Perhaps this is because we see who we are, and the decrepit nature of our starting point. When we compare this with the ultimate goal of achieving holiness, we wonder how it is possible to do that. So how do we become holy? Is holiness something that man can accomplish, or is it unobtainable for us?

God is Love, Good, and the Tree that gives us Life

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Love, or Fruit

As Christians we live to love. We love our God with all our heart, sole, mind, and strength; we love His Son Jesus, and we love our neighbors as ourselves, but in all of our opportunities to love we are to do so without requiring that we be loved first in exchange for giving our love. A Christian’s love is meant to be unconditional like the love that God modeled for us when He sent His Son to redeem us. We are to love with the humble obedient love that Jesus demonstrated during his life, death, and resurrection. If we can love others in this way then we will be judged as good, and our love will endure forevermore. Do we live our lives so that above all else we will find peace, joy, and comfort in eternal life, or do we seek to love abundantly, and to experience God’s divine love forevermore… even if it might cost us our lives?

The Eternal and Powerful Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Powerful Prayer

I read a discussion of prayer in which the author was talking about powerful prayers, and he proposed that for a person to be able to pray powerfully that it took work, and much practice to perfect. He went on to say that the more a person prayed the better they became at it. Well it is good to pray without ceasing, or for our prayers to at least be habitual, but the unrehearsed prayer of a child carries as much weight and power in it as the most ornate prayer of a robed pastor, the humble prayer if a priest, or even the expectant prayers of a prophet. The power of prayer rests in our righteousness, sincerity, and relationship with the Lord as we open our hearts to Him, and is not in our oration, diction, nor the perfection of our deliverance.

The Order of Life, death, and Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Order of Prayer

When we pray where do we begin? Do we begin with those things that are near to us, or those which are near to God? When Jesus taught His disciples to pray He started by calling on God as He identified Him as our Father, then who He is, Hallowed (or Holy), and thirdly where He lives, in heaven. Then, after reaching out to God, He instructs us to pray for the world by asking that God’s kingdom and will come to us. Only then does Jesus teach us to mention our own needs. Is this how we pray when we enter into our personal time of prayer? Do we begin with those greater things of God before we ask for the lesser things that are about us?

Who is our God, and who do we serve?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , One God Above All

We say that there is but one God, a God above all, and that there is no other, but do we live as though that is true? The Israelites said these same words and yet formed golden calves and worshiped false gods. Are we any different when we stand before gleaming gold medallions, polished marble statues, and treasures in our homes saying look what my labor and wealth has brought me? Do we marvel and say, “see what my hands have made!”? In such moments who do we worship, who is our god, and as we worship ourselves as the god of our success can we be saved from ourselves?

Entering by the Narrow Gate of Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Narrow Gate

In preparing for his final days, Paul wrote to Timothy and gave him instructions and warnings regarding the preaching and teaching of the gospel. Amongst these warnings was one that we find coming to fruition today; he warned him about not yielding to the temptation to water down the message to suit the whims and passions of the people. He warned that many would wander into myths. As we seek out our own salvation do we look for the narrow gate of true faith, or the earthly gate of myth that is thrown wide? Fewer will enter by the narrow gate and find eternal life, while a horde will rush the convenient earthly gate that means nothing but death. Are we being deceived?

Worshipping in the Night

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Night Worship

In the darkest seasons of our lives when we find ourselves wandering aimless with outstretched hands what is it that we are searching for? What are we hoping to find? Are we desperate to find something, anything, firm to hold onto, or are we following the voice and scent of God to His house where we can worship and bless Him? It is easy, and natural for us to worship our Lord when light surrounds us, and we are receiving the gifts He provides, but when night falls on us do we continue to call His name, and seek Him, or do we enter the first door that opens for us and call its owner our lord? When frightened, hungry, thirsty, lost in the darkness, and there is no relief in sight, do we continue to praise God, and call out the name of Jesus?

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.

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