06 Saturday Feb 2016
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When we choose to follow Jesus, we must be singularly minded on Him. Luke 9:62 says, Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.” You cannot move forward in a relationship with God and worry about what you left behind.
05 Friday Feb 2016
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Nothing, including our own lives, compares to what we gain with Christ. In Mark 8:35 Jesus says, For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. Holding onto this life does nothing for us. What we gain from it is temporary and, in the end, it all burns. The only things that matter is what we do that impacts eternity and the Kingdom of God.
04 Thursday Feb 2016
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Jesus was concerned with His disciples, as He is with us today, about their willingness to follow Him in both the good and bad times. Matthew 16:24 says, Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” When Jesus talked about taking up their cross, the disciples knew what he was talking about. Crucifixion was a common form of execution in Roman times and the accused were forced to carry their crosses to the execution site. Being willing to follow Jesus requires our willingness to show everyone who we are and what we believe until the very end.
03 Wednesday Feb 2016
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We have a tendency to become very caught up in what we absorb into out bodies. This goes for physical, mental , and spiritual consumption. But in Mark 7:15 Jesus says what comes out of us is what matters, “Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.'” This doesn’t mean we can take in anything we want because it will affect what comes out. But in the end, what comes out of us is what ultimately matters. If friendship make us angry, then we need to let go of the relationship. This goes for anything we allow in and in turn can’t control what comes out.
02 Tuesday Feb 2016
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In Jesus’ day the Gentiles, right or wrong, they were considered no more likely than dogs to receive God’s blessing. In today’s reading a Canaanite woman (Gentile) came asking for a miracle from Jesus. Matthew 15:25-28 was their interaction, 25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28 Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. While this interaction may seem very derogatory, it was the view at the time. But the woman was willing to take her perceived status in the society for the sake of healing her daughter. For us, we are no more than dogs in comparison to what God expects us to be. But when we humble ourselves and realize we deserve little more than crumbs off the Master’s table, we receive so much more.
01 Monday Feb 2016
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Jesus talked a lot about the “Bread of Life” today. Most of the religious leaders and people in general had a hard time understanding what Jesus meant by this. In John 6:27 Jesus says, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” It was hard to grasp what Jesus was saying because most of them thought He was speaking literally. But Jesus was talking about the sacrifice of His life to provide eternal life for all of us. We simply have to believe and accept His gift of His life as the sacrifice that gives us “food that endures to eternity”.
30 Saturday Jan 2016
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Faith should be without boundaries. It is not something we have or don’t have based on our circumstances or whether we can see the end result or not. In Mark 6:56 the people showed just how strong their faith in Jesus was; And wherever he went – into villages, towns or countryside – they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed. This is the type of faith we should all have. We all know God can do anything if we simply have faith. This doesn’t mean God grants our every desire, but it means we have faith He can.
29 Friday Jan 2016
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When it is darkest and seems all hope is lost, Jesus is still there. When the disciples were all alone on the water in the middle of the storm, Jesus was there doing the impossible coming to them by walking on the water in Matthew 14:27, But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” No matter what the circumstance, Jesus is there. And when we think we are alone, Jesus is there. He is able to do the impossible to be there for us if we simply believe and accept it.
28 Thursday Jan 2016
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Fear is a human emotion we all possess. Even the most hardened soldier experiences fear in the heat of battle. But here in Matthew 10:28, Jesus tells us not to fear those who can only kill our physical bodies, Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What we should fear is what can kill us for eternity. This can only happen when we submit ourselves to a life apart from God. Jesus gives us salvation to prevent us from separation from God. There are no excuses, just poor choices which keep us from eternity with Him.
27 Wednesday Jan 2016
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Whoever is sure they are righteous is not saved because we must acknowledge we don’t have all the answers and our need for Christ in our lives. In Matthew 9:13 Jesus says, “But go ahead and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Jesus is quoting Hosea 6:6 when he says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Jesus doesn’t need our ritualistic sacrifice. What He wants is our recognition of our need for His mercy on us and our need to have mercy on others.
Daily Devotion 