All tagged Obedience

Walking in the Light of Life through the darkness of the world

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Fear, Faith, Placing God First

Are we holding firm to our faith in Jesus Christ as the world boils and evil seeks to destroy the peace and rest of God in us? In the midst of the world’s darkness that is stirring strife, even from the pulpits, there shines forth a light, and in that light we find not only our life, but the light which is the life of the world... Jesus. He is unlike every  lamp, or torch, because He can’t be extinguished, not by deception, lies, or any other sin. He has defeated these through His own life, death, and resurrection, and His brightness lights our way as we navigate the darkness of the fallen world, even death, that surrounds us. 

Father Restore my Heart, and Heal my Land

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Redemption, Forgiveness

So many of us make empty attempts at fasting and prayer, or say we believe and then act differently during our days. We call a day Sabbath, but never rest, nor attempt to seek the presence of God in it. In these ways, among others, we dishonor Him, and raise His ire against us. Then without our focus on Him we believe that the calamities that befall us are not meant to be our punishment, and act surprised when they arise. It is time to open our eyes to Jesus Christ, to pray and fast before God as we should. It is time to honor Him on the Sabbath, and call out His name with expectation.

Being allowed to fail, and the Love found in Discipline, and Silence.

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Honoring, Obedience

It is so ironic when we forecast, pick, our own punishment, or the path of our spiritual lesson. Have you ever been wrestling with a sin you have committed and while you did so said something like this to yourself? “If God hadn’t meant for me to do this He would/wouldn’t have _________!” Then almost immediately that very thing you said He would or wouldn’t do proves to be your undoing? Saying such things is almost always followed by a lesson, revelation, and in the midst of our ensuing suffering, a prayer for forgiveness. What word(s) did you insert? Was it “let me do it”?

Obeying God’s Will when it costs us our own, and our Treasure

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Doing God’s Will

Do we do trust in God to provide for us when we are called to do His will? Do we find ourselves reluctant to proceed on because the earthly cost is just too high? Sometimes even the most saintly people find themselves reluctant to walk away from a precious thing they have come to value. They lose sight of the fact that God gave them all they currently have, and that if they will obey Him, the Lord will not abandon them to poverty. He is able to give many times the amount they might lose... if He so desires.

God’s Call, Our Readiness, and the Cleansed Vessel

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, God’s Calling

Do you wish that God would use you, but haven’t heard His voice? Well let me ask you a couple of questions. The first is... Have you prepared yourself for God’s use, and the second is this: are you listening for only a certain type of calling... maybe it’s one that is meant to glorify you alone, or then again perhaps it is something that is less than what God has planned for you?

God’s Mercy, God’s People, and God’s Love

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Obedience, Faithfulness

We are meant to be God’s people, but do we turn our back on the one who has given us shelter and protection, and snapped at the hand that has fed us? When God called to us He showered us with His love and care through Jesus, but over time have some of us have become fixed once again on our own abilities, our own desires, and forgotten whose children we are? Have we spurned heaven, that eternal place we call home? If so, then what awaits us now, and has God lost His love for us?

Talking the Talk, and Walking the Walk of Our Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Walking with God

Did we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and then retreat into the privacy of our prayer closet where we remain dormant in our faith? Maybe we visit with Him once or twice during the day, and then turn back to the world. Are we embarrassed to take Him where we go each day, or is it that we are ashamed to let others see that we say we love Him, but remain unchanged? The proof of our faith isn’t in what we say, but how we walk.

Obedience in those things we don’t yet Understand

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Obedience, Faith

Do we understand all that Jesus does for us each day? Even when we look at the cross, and think we understand, do we really? We see the end result, the forgiveness of sin, and the defeat of death, but do we really understand all that occurred in just those few days; in just those final moments? Do we grasp all that He endured for us, or how we came to benefit from His sacrifice? In our ignorance, and bold arrogance we might feel like we do, but Jesus Himself tells us we don’t.

Problem Solving: Building Towers or Blowing Horns?

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Problems, Prayer, Trust

Do you have a project at work that isn’t going very smoothly? Is there some task you are working on at home, or elsewhere, that is causing you trouble? There are so many sources of bad news and difficulty in our day to day lives, but as Christians how are we to approach them? What sets us apart from the unbelievers, and what are the consequences when we approach trouble as the worldly do?

Obediently Answering God’s Call of Love through Jesus

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, God’s Calling, Obedience

When we are yet sinners God loves, and calls us. Before we first turn to Him, many say that not only do they have no use for Him, but that He has no use for them... what folly it is to think in this way. Just as we can’t determine to be born, we likewise can’t determine for God to accept us. The children of Israel didn’t leave Egypt on their own accord... they were called out by a loving God.

Steadfast Love and Obedience in our Transformation by Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Transformation, Obedience

When we have come to love Jesus the last thing we should want to do is be separated from others of like mind. When we love our Lord, and come to behave as he does, then we must put on our old clothes, and hide our faces if we are to blend in once again with those we used to associate with. Do you desire to be with your brothers and sisters in Christ, or do you simply love Jesus on some occasions, and retreat to your old life at other times?

Obeying God; the Scarlet Cord, and the Unlovable among Us

Richard Forbes
Daily Devotion, Christian, Details of God’s Will

Do we obey God to the letter, or do we take His commandments and rationalize them, or apply our own judgement to them? Do we use our own logic in determining that we should obey Him in one circumstance but not in another? If so then, although we try to convince ourselves to the contrary, we are placing ourselves above God. The little things, or uncomfortable ones, can be our undoing. Obey God in all things and always.

Moving Ahead in Faith by following the cloud

Richard Forbes
The Journey of Faith, Christian, Daily Devotion

Are you satisfied to remain where you are in your life, and likewise your faith? Are you resisting the moves that God has called you to make? So often complacency and fear trap us in circumstances both physical, and spiritual, and in so doing, this slowly destroys our joy, and our faith begins to fade. We are meant to be on a journey through life, and a pilgrimage towards greater faith and relationship with God. A moment’s rest is good, but the walk ahead brings us joyously into the presence of the Lord.

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