15 Thursday Sep 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
If we are not willing to act like one of God’s children then we must question whether we really are one of His children. 1 John 2:4 says, The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Obedience is the reflection of who we are in Christ.
14 Wednesday Sep 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
“The proof is in the pudding.” This is one of my favorite sayings. The truth finds it’s way to the surface based on the results of our actions. 1 John 1:6 says, If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. Our actions toward God are the proof of our love for Him. If we walk with Him, it will be apparent in all we do, say, and feel.
13 Tuesday Sep 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
We have to keep ourselves close to God and to build a relationship with Him. Jude 1:21 says, Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. To keep ourselves close means to live in close relationship to God and other believers like us.
12 Monday Sep 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
At times, we may think God moves slowly when it comes to answering our prayers. But it is important to remember that God is not on our timeline, nor does He move according to our will. 2 Peter 3:9 says, The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to parish, but everyone to come to repentance. God moves in accordance with His will and timeline to give all of us time to find Him. It may seem as though people are no longer looking for God, but He is not about the numbers. He is simply waiting on all who are willing to believe and come to Him.
10 Saturday Sep 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
Peter is very clear about what is waiting for the sinful man in 2 Peter 2:17, These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. You cannot expect reward when all you do is evil.
09 Friday Sep 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
Our ability to grow does not come from our own efforts, it comes from a relationship with God and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 2 Peter 1:3 says, His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Christ called us to to a relationship with Him first, not the other way around. It is through His power we receive everything we need.
08 Thursday Sep 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
As we finish this second letter from Paul to Timothy, Paul gives some final instructions starting with 2 Timothy 4:2: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. Paul tells Timothy to “correct, rebuke, and encourage”. All three of these things are difficult to do, but if we want to grow closer to the Lord, we must be willing to do all three.
07 Wednesday Sep 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
In today’s reading, Paul begins with a very detailed warning to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-5: 1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. If we read this thoroughly, it reminds us of the world we live in today. Sadly, it is the same world we have always lived in. It is not meant to be perfect, but God is and He loves us and protects us just the same.
06 Tuesday Sep 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
Our faith in God should be reflected in the way we defend our faith to others. If we resort to arguments and scoring points, then we lack faith that God is working through us. In 2 Timothy 2:24 Paul warns: And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. There is no reason to quarrel with people about our faith. We know the truth and the truth will be revealed to others when it is God’s will and for His glory. It is not an attack on us when people reject Christ. We are simply an instrument willing to be used by God.
05 Monday Sep 2016
Posted in Daily Reading
Since when do we as believers start bowing to the demands of our society? We are commanded to love others as Christ would love them, but we were not given the command to fit our beliefs into societal norms. As we begin Paul’s second letter to Timothy, we read in 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. There is nothing timid about our commands from Christ. He commanded us to love others and to boldly share His truths in that love. Christ is the savior of the world. There is nothing timid about that.
Daily Devotion 