All tagged devotion

The Aroma of Religion

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Devotion on Holy Days

This coming Sunday being Palm Sunday makes today’s lesson all the more pertinent. There are three Sunday's when people attend church who don't typically come, and this is one of them. This is not a time to judge them, or look down our noses on them in pious condemnation of their faith, but to rejoice in their presence there with us, and embrace them. This is the time to open our hearts to them, and to smell the aroma of their religion and God as they are drawn back to the Church to seek, believe, and worship. May they fill the church pews, and the scent of their devotion waft over us on these holy days. They are the temple just as we, who might come to church every Sunday, are the temple… beware lest we destroy God’s Temple and destroy ourselves.

Our Praying Hearts

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Heartfelt Prayer

Sometimes when we are in a battle against the hardships of life we can become so involved in the struggle, and desperately calling upon the Lord in prayer, that even though we are saying the words, our depth of devotion and loving heart is absent from them. My devotional reading this morning warned against this, and today we will turn to a verse in Isaiah 29 to understand this further.

Being Devout and Serving

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Being Devout

Once again we are exploring the topic of devotion, but today we are asking ourselves what it means to be devout. For this purpose we will use a verse from Acts 12, the story of Saul becoming Paul, and the devotion of Ananias. The Jews who surrounded Ananias praised the devotion he showed to God by his obedience to the law, but do those who know us today look at our lives and call us devout? Ananias was given a good report because he obeyed the law, will we be called devout Christians because of the way we obey God’s commandments, follow Jesus, and love one another?

Our Devotion

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotion, Daily Devotion

This morning our devotional message is on the very subject of devotion. E.M. Bounds referred to it as "the spirit of reverence and Godly fear." He then spoke about an attribute of devotion that is very familiar to us when he said, "devotion dwells in the realm of quietness and is still before God. It is thoughtful, serious and meditative." There is a wonderful scripture that I have hanging on my closet door. I read it every morning as I prepare for my day, and every evening as I prepare to retire; it is Psalm 46:10.

Birthdays, Devotion, and One with God

Richard Forbes
Christian , Devotion

Today I celebrate my wife's birthday. I have lived with her longer than any other human being on earth, and in that time I have loved her without reservation. My love for her forms one of the foundation stones of my life, and like my love for Jesus Christ, it rests firmly upon God Himself. Have you ever heard someone say that they have dedicated their life to this thing or that? Let’s think about dedicating one's life. I have thought about this a great deal lately and have concluded that although we can dedicate ourselves to certain people, ideas, and things, there are three things that we will never be able to say we have dedicated ourselves to, and all three involve a covenant, and a love that defies description.