02 Tuesday Jun 2015
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In today’s reading, Paul goes over a lot of things about public worship and the Lord’s Supper. But 1 Corinthians 11:31 is what stood out to me, But if we judge ourselves, we would not come under judgement. We must read scripture and listened to the Holy Spirit in order to properly judge ourselves. If we are honest in our interpretation of scripture and in our relationship with God, then we don’t have to wonder what is right versus wrong.
20 Wednesday May 2015
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In today’s reading we see a lot of turmoil between the new believers and the Greeks of Ephesus. Because the “Way” (this is what the early Christian sect was called) was such a new and disruptive faith, people felt threatened. Especially those who made a living by selling people false hope and deceit. This chapter sets the stage for the majority of Paul’s letters to the early churches of the region. Most of these churches experienced tremendous amounts of pressure and persecution because of their faith. It is important to realize there are still Christians around the world that face similar persecution. The hope of Jesus is no less disruptive than it was 2,000 years ago. While we have allowed this message to be watered down in the United States, there are many believers in other parts of the world that still experience persecution. Let us not forget them and be in prayer for their strength, safety, and peace as they remain faithful servants of Christ.
16 Saturday May 2015
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In this second letter to the Thessalonian church, Paul wanted to clear up confusion about Christ’s second coming. Many of these believers in the church thought Christ would be coming soon because of the amount of persecution they were facing. But Paul reiterated the time of His coming was unknown and not necessarily imminent. Paul simply encourages these early believer to trust that God is in control. In 2 Thessalonians 1:8 Paul says, God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you. It is not our job to judge others or retaliate when we feel persecuted. It is our job to be obedient and listen to God’s leading through the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are to life boldly, but we are also to live lives that are under control and obedient to God’s will and purpose.
15 Friday May 2015
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God is faithful and in turn can help us be faithful back to Him. When God asks anything of us he does not expect us to accomplish it alone. As Paul finished up this first letter to the Thessalonians, he reminds them of God’s faithfulness to them. In 1 Thessalonians 5:24 Paul says, The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. God is able to do great things with or without us. But when we allow God to work through us, we are blessed to be a part of His will and it’s eternal impact.
13 Wednesday May 2015
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Faith is contagious and we can be encourage by the faith of both seasoned and new believers alike; especially in the heat of battle. In 1 Thessalonians 3:7 Paul says to this relatively young group of believers, Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we are encouraged about you because of your faith. Watching young or new believers act faithfully to God is powerful to watch. We can see God’s hand working in them in a raw and tangible way. When we see it, we are reenergized and remember what it was like to be new in the faith and how much it changed us. Let us not forget what it was like to be changed and renewed by God. There is much work to be done and God can continue to work in us. None of us is perfect and will never be perfect, but in an authentic relationship with God, we can become more like Him each day if we are willing to be influenced by Him.
07 Thursday May 2015
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The world wants us to be arrogant about our accomplishments. We are supposed to measure our success against the accomplishments of others. But the only true measurement is that of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul, in this final chapter of this book, says in Galatians 6:14, May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. The only thing that should matter to us is our relationship with Christ and how that affects our lives and service to Him. The less the interests of this world matters to us the better off we are.
05 Tuesday May 2015
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Under Roman law, and adopted son was guaranteed all legal rights of his father’s estate. He was not treated as a second class child, even if he was born a slave. In Galatians 4:7 Paul talks about this in reference to our relationship with God when we accept the gift of salvation through Christ’s sacrifice, So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. Likewise, as adopted children of God, we share all the rights as heirs of the Kingdom of God. We have a full identity as His children. Let us all try to remember this as we live our lives; we are children of the King.
02 Saturday May 2015
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The beauty of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is He crucified our sins with His death. Paul describes this beautifully in Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God. When Christ died for our sins, our sins died with Him. Because our sins died with Christ, we are no longer condemned and have relationally become one with Him. Our old life no longer exists.
29 Wednesday Apr 2015
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The Law of Moses was put in place to guide the people of Israel. They had no other choice but to try to follow the Law because it was the only way to stay in communion with our perfect God. But the Law was hard and it was impossible to keep fully and to the extent required by God. It was for this reason Christ died on the cross for us; to give us a way to God provided by grace. In Acts 15:10-11 Peter spells this out, 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are. It is a simple process to believe and yet we all know it is conceptually difficult for some. It all comes down to trust and faith in the love Christ has for us all.
27 Monday Apr 2015
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Why do we worry so much about tomorrow? James 4:14 says, Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. When we spend the majority of our time worrying about what happens next, we miss out on what is happening right now. God has placed us in this life for a reason and we may never know what that reason is. But when we spend all our time working for the future, we may lose sight of the impact we can have in this world through our actions today. Trusting in God is more than just trusting He will take care of our future; we already know He has done that. Trusting in God is more about having faith that He will guide our steps. Let us all look to God in our daily lives and how we can influence others today.
Daily Devotion 