20 Friday Jun 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
There is an intriguing verse in Revelation 2:28, I will also give him the morning star. A morning star appears just before dawn when it is coldest and darkest. When the world is at it’s darkest point Christ will come and expose the darkness with His light of truth and promised victory.
19 Thursday Jun 2014
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Today we will begin the somewhat tedious 22 day process of reading through the book of Revelation. While this is a difficult book to engage, it is a vital part of our theology and ultimately a book of hope and faith; the hope and faith that God is in control and no matter how hard life is for each of us, He is always with us. Revelation 1:17-18 says 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. God holds the keys to everything and evil only exists in His absence. God is in control and the victory for our lives has already been won when we choose to trust and follow Him.
18 Wednesday Jun 2014
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We are to be a reflection of Christ in all we do. 3 John 1:11 says, Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. There are plenty of examples of evil in this world that we can use as examples. However, we are to be imitators of what is good, which is to be imitators of Christ because He is our perfect example. The sad part is many churches, and therefore the people in churches, are not great examples of Christ. We need to go to the source and follow what is said directly from God’s word.
17 Tuesday Jun 2014
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The verse that stood out to me today was 2 John 1:8, Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you be rewarded fully. Being rewarded fully does not mean salvation, it means being rewarded for loyal service to God. We can only receive salvation once and it is for eternity through grace because of Christ’s sacrifice. But when we have a relationship with God and want to serve Him in all we do, He will reward us for that loyal service.
16 Monday Jun 2014
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Whether we are children or adults, obedience is not always easy. Sometimes doing the right thing is actually harder than than doing what is easy. Jesus never promised us obeying Him would be easy, but when we love and serve Christ, the hard work and self-discipline in serving Him is not burdensome. 1 John 5:3-4 says, 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. But when the burden does become too heavy, He never leaves us alone and is with us to help carry the load. All that we face and the obedience we show is because of the victory we ultimately have in Christ.
15 Sunday Jun 2014
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Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. Dove has made some great videos this past year. In honor of Father’s Day, once again, they did not disappoint.
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14 Saturday Jun 2014
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The verse that stood out to me today is 1 John 4:13, This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. God presence in our lives is proof that we really belong to Him.
13 Friday Jun 2014
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On of my favorite verses in the Bible is 1 John 3:1, See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. God’s love is lavishly given to us. So much so that He calls us His children. When people do not understand the change in our lives because of God, it’s because they lack the knowledge and relationship with Him necessary to understand it. We should always be satisfied with our own relationship with God and know it is enough.
12 Thursday Jun 2014
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When in doubt, follow what Jesus did. 1 John 2:5-6 says, 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. To live as Jesus did we must obey His teaching and follow His example of obedience to God and serving people with love and kindness. When in doubt, follow what Jesus did.
11 Wednesday Jun 2014
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Confession of sin is meant to free us to enjoy fellowship with Christ. It is meant to clear our conscience and lighten our heart. But sometimes it is difficult to let go of guilt associated with sin and the affects it has on us. 1 John 1:9 says, If we confess out sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. When we ask for forgiveness we must also learn to let go of the affects it has on our lives. We must learn and use the experience to remind us to never go back to the sin, but it should no longer have control over us to paralyze us through a guilty conscience.
Daily Devotion 