All tagged holy

Are Mundane Lives, a Reflection of Holiness?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Hidden Lives

The mundane acts of life... do they drag you down or define you in your faith? Moreover, are they mundane at all, or just the day to day living of a life of faith? We read all the time about the great men and women of faith, but writers and pastors rarely speak of those who go quietly about their lives serving God in all of the small routine chores and expectations of a righteous life. We seldom hear about the foot washers, those humble souls that work both day and night for the kingdom with little recognition outside of heaven.

Our Calling, Redemption, and Holiness

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Are We Holy

Are we called to be Holy men and women? If we are not, then what is our calling? These are the questions I am asking myself this morning, and the Apostle Paul is the example I look to as I search out the Lord's call in my life. You see, Paul wasn't called to serve in the temple, nor to sit on a mountaintop communing with God... he was called to deliver the gospel to a dark and dangerous world. Holiness in scripture means to be separated for the use of God… are we?

A Sacred Place

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Sacred Places with God

I read a short devotional message nine years ago, on this very day, that thrilled me. It was called "A Sacred Place" and it couldn't have been more relevant to my life at that time, and continues even now. The scripture verse used was from 1 Thessalonians. I gave this verse, a prayer of intercession and blessing, much thought, and I found that it went hand in hand with the prayer, consecration, holiness, and sacredness of my own life. I hope it does this for you too, and opens your awareness of the sacred places in your prayer life where God’s love sanctifies you through, and through. Today I reprint what I wrote that morning…

Holy Prayers

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Praying Holy

I was reading the thoughts of Pastor E.M. Bounds on praying Holy Prayers this morning, and he made the point that Holy Prayers are not just said, but come from men and women who are whole heartedly devoted to God; entirely separated from sin, and fully separated or consecrated to God. The bible verse we will use as we contemplate this today is Revelation 8:4. Let’s read it together…

"The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand."

Revelation 8:4 ESV

The Conundrum of Prayer and Consecration

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Consecration and Prayer

This morning I read about the relationship between being consecrated (becoming sacred or holy) and prayer. Although it is much like the chicken and the egg, in which we ask which came first, there is no doubt that they go hand in hand. But, reading the bible and attempting to adhere to every commandment without speaking with God is nearly impossible to my way of thinking. As a matter of fact, it would be ignoring a great portion of the bible itself as it deals with prayer, praying, and those who pray. Pastor E.M. Bounds, attempted to explain this conundrum to us in his discussion of prayer and consecration; yet still left us with a bit of the conundrum to consider. In one statement he says...

Holiness Inside and Out

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Complete Holiness

This morning we are contemplating a holiness of heart and life. Isn't this one of the core aims in our quest of faith? Pastor E.M. Bound speaks to how we should go about achieving such a life, and heart, in these words... "To cultivate this kind of life and heart, one must be watchful, one must pray and be forgiving toward others. A true Christian seeks holiness of heart, he is not satisfied without it. For this very purpose he consecrates himself to God. He gives himself entirely over to God in order to be holy in heart and in life." How are each of us doing in this pursuit?

Am I a Consecrated Person?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Consecrated and Holy

Are we consecrated men and women or are we fooling ourselves? Most Christians view themselves as being consecrated, but are we doing those things in our lives that insures that this is true? To know the truth we must first understand what consecration actually means. It is the dedication of ourselves to God; allowing Him to sanctify us and make us holy. If we are consecrated then we must dedicate ourselves to God and His use; our lives should be centered on prayer, worship, and service to God.

Goodness, Faith, and Holiness

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Goodness and Holiness

Goodness is our topic for consideration this morning. Let’s explore goodness and see how it relates to our faith and holiness. There are people who do good things and are considered good people, but have no, or very little, faith. There are people who have faith, but don't do good in their lives, and finally, there are those of faith who in their holiness do good many things. Which of these do we envision ourselves to be?

Do We Wear the Jacket or the Ring of Holiness?

Richard Forbes
Daily Devotional, Becoming Holy

Have you ever been shopping or at a restaurant and seen an older couple walking together that have the same stride, have the same mannerisms, the same inflections in their speech, and in some strange way even resemble each other? It would be easy to mistake them as brother and sister, but they are in fact husband and wife. This is what years of love and living together does... it joins us in ways that we often can't explain and that are so subtle we barely realize it’s happening. Our faith and holiness should unite us with Christ in much the same way. 

Of Prayer, Holiness, and Icebergs

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Seeking Holiness

Our devotional thought this morning surrounds praying as a holy act, and focuses on the subsidence of holiness in the church today. Our scripture verse tells us that unless we are holy then we will not see the Lord, and yet we, and our churches, spend an inordinate amount of time in the physical world. Even when we pray we tend to focus more on our wants and less on loving God and our neighbors, thanksgiving, asking for forgiveness, and other spiritual things. We need to lean into these things as we pray.

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