23 Thursday Feb 2012
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Verse 25 is a simple verse with a very important thought, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Every time I read this passage I think about how profound it is and how much wisdom it gives us. Worrying is something that produces zero (0) results, yet we engage a tremendous amount of energy into it. I need to remember that the more I trust in God and His perfect plan, the less I need to worry about the things I can’t control.
22 Wednesday Feb 2012
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I love reading John 10:10. It says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” This verse is part of a larger topic, but the reason I love this particular passage is because it tells me that Jesus did not come to make my life miserable. He came to allow me to live my life to fullest. Too many times people feel that the life of a believer is boring or sad, but the truth is that some of the happiest, most fulfilled people I know are believers. Why? Because they experience life the way it was intended; in a fulfilling relationship with their Creator and God!
21 Tuesday Feb 2012
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Once again there is a lot of information in today’s reading. The verses that stick out to me are 9 and 10 where it says, “9 So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Our Father in heaven wants to bless us, He really, really does! We need to be bold in asking Him for blessings and know that in His plan He has nothing but the best in store for us, even when it’s not necessarily what we think we want.
20 Monday Feb 2012
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In verses 27 and 28 Jesus answered the expert in the law’s question about how he could inherit eternal life, “27 He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”” I found it interesting that the expert didn’t ask about salvation, he asked about eternal life. Jesus acknowledged the expert’s assessment of how to gain eternal life with the story of the Good Samaritan. I love this story because it not only shows what is right but also the spirit of doing what is right. Sometimes it is not easy to love people who are difficult to love. We need to reflect the love of Christ in all we do no matter how difficult it may be sometimes.
19 Sunday Feb 2012
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The disciples had a legitimate question. After all, we all question why bad things happen to good people. When they saw the man who was bling from birth, they simply wanted to know who had sinned, the man or his parents. Jesus replied in verse 3, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” This is really hard for us because we want to believe that bad things come from consequences of someone doing something wrong. If each of us realized that bad things had the sole purpose of finding a way to glorifying God, we would all have a different perspective on bad situations.
18 Saturday Feb 2012
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There is so much information in today’s reading. Jesus has an amazing dialog with the religious leaders. I love the way He made it clear that the glory belongs to God the Father. In the second part of verses 49 and in all of 50 it says, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.” Then Jesus makes it clear that the glory He does receive only comes from the Father. In verse 54 it says, “Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.” It is difficult sometimes to remember that everything we do is for the glory of God and no one else! Jesus is the perfect example of how we are to serve and how we are to acknowledge God as worthy.
17 Friday Feb 2012
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I love reading verses 37 & 38, “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”” The living water alludes to the life giving that comes through the Messiah. Like the necessity of water required by all living things, the Jews looked to the Messiah to provide eternal life for them.
16 Thursday Feb 2012
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Forgiveness is a tough thing to do. It requires us to forget a debt or a wrong that someone has committed against us. But when we focus on the level of forgiveness God has given each of us through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, it helps to put things in perspective. In verse 22 when Jesus says, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” He is acknowledging that people are human and they will make mistakes. But if Jesus can forgive our multitude of sins, then we should be able to accept everyone’s sinful human condition. Knowing we have been forgiven should make it easier to forgive others.
15 Wednesday Feb 2012
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The illustration of “salt” is such a good one. In verse 50 Jesus says, “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” We are to give flavor to the world and give it purpose. Sometime as Christians we believe we are supposed to be separate from all that goes on in the world. The truth is we are here to take part in the world and bring purpose to our human existence. We should never approach our lives here on earth with worry or fear, but with boldness in knowing we reflect the hope of Christ.
14 Tuesday Feb 2012
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The last part of today’s reading, for me, has always been more about the miracle of a fish having a coin in its mouth than the meaning behind this particular event. Jesus was making it clear that He is the King and as the King He really was not obligated to pay any taxes. It would be the equivalent of me tithing to myself. But Jesus understood the rulers did not understand who He really was. It was not worth making a big stink about it so He paid the taxes through the miracle of supplying a fish with the money in it (kind of like an ancient pez dispenser). The application for us is to remember that we are foreigners on this earth and we are not citizens here. However, we still to be good residents and be good ambassadors of our true King.
Daily Devotion 