Receiving the Blessing of the Peacemaker

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Peacemaker

Although we are Christians, can we remember the last time we made peace in a bad situation? Perhaps we never have, but if by chance we can remember such a time, then we are truly blessed. If we are peacemakers then God promises us a blessing, but what will that blessing be, and in the moment when God reveals it to us will it be everything we imagined? In that blessed instant of unimaginable grace will the gift of holiness we receive allow us to see the brilliant glory of the great I Am, and hear Him call us sons?

Being Transformed by our Belief

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Transformed

When we accept Jesus as Lord are we open to a complete life altering change in who we are, or simply asking Him to alter us in a few handpicked ways? Do we want to become like Jesus and be transformed into His perfect image by becoming a better and more righteous person, or do we simply want to pick and choose those attributes He exhibits that we believe will serve us well in our existing lives? Let’s ask ourselves questions like this… Do I want to be a slightly kinder person, or do I want to be kind as Jesus is kind? Do I want to be more humble, or do I want to be perfectly humble as Jesus is? God wants us to be transformed, but to what degree are we willing to accept the transformation? Will we conform to a complete mental, behavioral, and spiritual change and in so doing obey God’s will for us in its entirety?

Lord take my troubles, and the burdens of my life

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Burdens

As Christian believers we are told not to carry our own burdens, but to give them to God, and to Jesus, and yet, many of us are reluctant to release them. Does this sound familiar? When I make this statement are we convicted by it? Are we carrying around heavy loads, and feeling the strain of everyday life that grows into worry, fear, and doubt, when we should be comforted by God’s promise of aid, and Jesus’s assurance that His burden is light?

Of Statues, and Unknown Idols we Serve

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Idols

We hear people proclaim that they are subject to no one. We listen to them as they brag that they are their own person, or sing songs proclaiming that they did it their way, and which are meant to glorify themselves or mankind. But these are the words and songs of the world and are not of God; they are not righteousness and will fall silent in eternity. If we believe that we belong to ourselves, or to anyone or anything other than our Holy Father, then we belong to nothing and are truly lost… our existence is fleeting indeed, and we are destined to die with the world. Who do we believe is God? Who is our shepherd, and who do we serve?

Of Fear, God’s Word, and the Quotes of Men

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Fear and Courage

How much courage do we think we possess? Are we filled with fear and tell ourselves that we can’t do the challenging things in our lives? Does knowing that our God tells us to be strong and have courage help us face the intense situations, and the terrors of the world as we do His will? If we think that we are lacking in courage because we are afraid, we should look deeper into ourselves because courage isn’t the absence of fear… it is obeying God regardless of the fear that is present in us. When God, or angels tell us to fear not they are actually commanding us to stand firm in our faith and belief despite the natural human fear we are feeling.

God’s Forgiveness, and Ours

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Forgiving and Forgiveness

Are we afraid to speak directly to God? Do we feel safer going to a deacon, an elder, or our pastor when we have sin issues in our lives? If you look inward and find that this is true of yourself, don't fear, there is nothing new in this... it has been happening since the time of our first sin. Men have been afraid to approach God in sin from the moment that Adam and Eve first hid themselves in the Garden of Eden, continued on to the time of Moses, and occurs today as well.

From Our First to Last Breath… Imagine God

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Imagination

Do you focus and contemplate on God each day, and in everything you do? Is your imagination being used to reveal the Lord in every circumstance and activity in your life? These are the questions we will consider today, and we will see that our imagination is the portion of our belief that allows us to see beyond what our eyes can show us; imagination is the key to hope, and faith. We are about to examine the concept of spiritual imagining, which is not fantasy at all, but a very real key to the doorway into a world beyond our physical senses.

Imagining God, and the Floor of Heaven

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Imagining God’s Greatness

What do we imagine our faith to be? How great and unbound can we dream that God is? What binds us to the commonplace, and the everyday? It isn't God, or faith, but our own perception of their combined greatness and possibility. Oswald Chambers touched on this when he wrote these words…. "Is your imagination looking in the face of an idol? Is the idol yourself? Your work? Your conception of what a worker should be? Your experience of salvation and sanctification? Then your imagination of God is starved, and when you are up against difficulties you have no power, you can only endure in the darkness."

Are We Spiritually Exhausted?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Spiritually Exhausted

Are you spiritually exhausted, and if so why? This is our topic for consideration this morning. Oswald Chambers gives us some insight into this type of exhaustion when he writes of its origin... serving God, but what do we do once we realize we are suffering in this way? Do we quit serving Him? Do we walk away from our faith? Let's look at the answer to these questions today, and refresh ourselves.

Sanctification; Setting Sail for Heaven

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Sanctification

When I first believed and professed Jesus as my savior, I thought I was sanctified, but what I really had become was a believer. I had gained general admission into salvation, heaven, but there was so much more that awaited. I was still moving easily back and forth into the secular world that I was seeking to transition out of... I was a double citizen; I had citizenship in the world and claimed another in heaven. I gained forgiveness in one world for the sins I committed in the other...

Looking for Answers in All the Wrong Places

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Answered Prayer

As we approach Lent and Easter, I am thinking about the two who walked the road to Emmaus and encountered Jesus. I am amazed that they had left Jerusalem and were returning home dejected and believing the Lord had failed them... they were disappointed that their timeline had not been met as they thought it should have been. The promise of three days, in their eyes, meant that Jesus would arise and redeem Israel by force from the Romans. Let's read their words...

Prayer, and an End to the Darkest Night

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Waiting in Prayer

Do you find yourself longing for God? Are you at a place in your life where you feel separated from him and sit in darkness waiting on His light to shine on you once again? Maybe you have asked for His Holy Spirit to fill you, and are waiting expectantly for it, or you need an answer to some other prayer that is yet to come. However you wait upon God remember that He is already with you; that your realization of His presence is what you truly await. Remember also that you are not alone, even in this feeling.

Lord, Why Do You Love Me?

Richard Forbes
Christian , God Loves Us

I often talk about how I feel regarding Jesus and my love for God, but today I am considering the love God has for us, and the reason for the love He feels for us. We know very well that God loves us, and the Bible is filled with scripture to that effect.

“Thus says the Lord: "The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”

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