21 Monday Sep 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
When you boil it all down, God’s command to us is simple; love others the way he loves us. 2 John 1:6 says, And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. If we are obedient to God, then we are to walk in love, which means we are to love others. It is one of the simplest and yet hardest things to do.
12 Saturday Sep 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
God does not expect perfection from us, but he also does expect us to make every effort at holiness. As believers He does not expect us to attain holiness on our own, which is why we have the Holy Spirit living in us. 2 Peter 3:14 says, So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Making every effort means we do not become lazy and complacent, but eager to please Him.
11 Friday Sep 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
It is better to not know the truth and do wrong, than to know the truth and do wrong anyway. In today’s reading Peter makes it clear what it is like for a person who comes to know Christ and then falls away. 2 Peter 2:22, Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.” Like a person drowning in the ocean who refuses to grab a life preserver; the person who turns away from Christ casts aside their only escape from death.
09 Wednesday Sep 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
I want my life to mean something in the end. I want God to look at me and say I have made Him proud. Paul realized he was reaching the end of his life and in 2 Timothy 4:7-8 says to Timothy, 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. Paul fought the good fight and prepared the way so that others could do the same. I hope and pray we all follow the same path as Paul. It is difficult, but through God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s leading, we can do it.
27 Thursday Aug 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
While we are not saved by our deeds, our conduct is an evidence of our faith. Hebrews 6:7 says, Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. Just like land that produces a good crop receives loving care from a farmer, we too receive care and attention from our Father in heaven when we are productive in our faith.
17 Monday Aug 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
Having ill will or feelings for another person is never productive. In 1 Peter 2:1 Peter says, Therefore, rid yourself of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. When you hang onto these feelings, it does more to harm you than the person you are feeling it towards. More importantly, it is against what Jesus called us to do when He told us to love Him and to love others.
15 Saturday Aug 2015
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Today we being the first letter written by Peter, one of Jesus’ original 12 disciples. The letter was written as an encouragement to Christians who were driven out of Jerusalem and scattered throughout Asia Minor. Because of persecution, many believers kept waiting for something more from their obedience, but in 1 Peter 1:9 Peter makes things clear, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your soul. The ultimate goal of our faith is spending eternity in the presence of God through our salvation from Christ’s sacrifice. Everything else is icing on the cake.
14 Friday Aug 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
As believers we have nothing to prove to this world. It is not our job to convince others of the truth. It is our job, however, to lovingly show them the truth and allow the Holy Spirit to work in each individual’s heart to bring them into a relationship with God. Paul talks about this in Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Arguing with someone who does not choose to believe and see the truth is a waste of time and brings them no closer to God. We are called to do two things; love God and love others. If we focus on those two things we are obedient and help bring people closer to God.
11 Tuesday Aug 2015
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We will always feel contentment when we are walking in God’s will. In 1 Timothy 6:6 Paul says, But godliness with contentment is great gain. When we follow God’s leading, it does not necessarily bring us happiness, but it does bring about contentment. Being a believer is not always easy, but it will always fulfill us to know we are not alone and have God by our side.
10 Monday Aug 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
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Some sin is obvious and some is not clear until later when consequences come about. In 1 Timothy 5:24 Paul says, The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgement ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In time, all sin comes to light, one way or another.
Daily Devotion 