Sharing Devotions

[BlestVessel]

Sometimes, I read my daily devotional and begin weeping before I've even reached the end; other days, I just want to jump up and sing for joy at the top of my lungs as I read and the Holy Spirit is just stirring me and causing me to bubble over with joy uncontainable!

I thought it would be really awesome if people could post on this thread a meaningful devotional they read recently and what it meant to them, or write about how God spoke to them recently.

Often, part of my devotional will be meditating on song lyrics, listening to a touching song and letting the truths-or the singular main truth-of it penetrate me. Devotions can be anywhere - I've had moments where I just felt awe sweeping over me in a shopping mall when I heard three words in a song and I had to stop and just admire my Master.

Please keep your eyes and ears open, continuing to pursue Him, and share how He's spoken to you recently. I think it's just so exciting to hear and share what God's doing with us, how he's speaking to us, changing and shaping us, as individuals and as groups. And I love that we can do that here!

Anyway, I'll post one in a moment, but I just really wanted to share this idea and set up this thread.

Much Love,
Your Sister in Christ

 

[BlestVessel]

Recently, I wrote this note in my prayer journal:

"Where have I gone, Lord?

I am in a haze.

A blur of emotion, a whirlwind of tiredness.

My head is light and my eyes, heavy, my heart on another plane entirely.

Sad but not weeping.

Mourning, but neglecting to mourn.

Where have I gone to, Lord?"


Right after I wrote that, I began my reading for the day and it made me weep. I've been feeling so lost and so weak in the midst of many different kinds of pain at once. But seeing our weakness is good because it's then that we become willing to see God's strength. It's so difficult to wait when everything is pressing in on us so that we think we may be completely crushed. Then He whispers: I am forever present, forever powerful, and forever timely. That's our God. This is where my reading started:

Isaiah 40:28-31 (KJV)

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not,

neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. [29] He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he

increaseth strength. [30] Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: [31] But they that wait

upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they

shall walk, and not faint.

 

[soblessed53]

This story doesn't mention our Lord,I wish it did,but I truly believe all Christians should be able to find this attitude within themselves,because of God's wonderful grace.

Attitude, After All, Is Everything
(Author Unknown)
Jerry is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"
He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"
Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.
"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.
"Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."
I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business...he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gun point by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"
I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.
Jerry continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'BULLETS!' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead'."
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

 

[TammyInChrist]

Both posts really ministered to me tonight! thanks ladies for sharing them

Soblessed....I am trying so hard to choose positive over negative, I am such an easily stressed person and I so want not to be..... God forgives and I am able to start over again the next day...THANK YOU LORD!!!

 

[soblessed53]

Good Morning All.I pray you are having a blessed day in Our Lord.

This is what I just read from "Soul's Journey Devotionals"


[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]the great escape [/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 [/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]
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In my study of sheep, I found out something that surprised me. Sheep are deathly afraid of running water. When the snows melt in Israel, the small streams that flow gently down the mountainsides can quickly become raging torrents of water. Thirsty sheep are so afraid of the rushing stream that they would rather die of thirst before they would drink from it. The reason is this: Sheep are not sure-footed animals, and they instinctively know that they could easily slip as they try to drink from a fast-moving current. If they were to take the plunge, their heavy coats of wool would soak up the water and in a matter of seconds they would be dead.



A good shepherd leads the sheep beside still waters, or stilled waters (Psalm 23:2). The shepherd understands their fear, so he will take some rocks and stones and divert some of the water to more level ground that is safely away from the rushing water. The shepherd constructs a small, safe stream of water. There the sheep can drink without fear, for he has literally stilled the waters.

God stills the waters for his sheep as well. When the children of Israel were finally leaving Egypt after hundreds of years of captivity, they were suddenly between a rock and a hard place. The Red Sea was in front of them, and Pharaoh’s pursuing army was behind them. There was no escape. But God stepped in. He rolled back the water and stilled it, and his people passed through on dry ground. Then the waters became “unstilled” at the appropriate moment and their enemies were wiped out. The Red Sea was blocking their escape, so God made it a source of escape. And he did that by stilling the waters. What is the Red Sea in your life today? God is bigger than your sea of circumstances. And he can make those circumstances work miraculously for you as he made the Red Sea work for his people long ago. —Steve Farrar stevefarrar.com [/font]




[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]seeking: Father, what have you brought to mind as I have considered your ability to still my tumultuous seas? What has your calming touch meant to me this moment? [/font]



[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]responding: How have I been turning away from God and his ability to still the waters of life? • What have I been fearing that God may actually use as an escape for me? Why? [/font]

[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Father, thank you for your loving, calming work in my life. I rest in the reality of your presence and protection. You are my God and I worship you. [/font]



[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]following: God is greater than any problem we will encounter.
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Whenever I read something like this,I am always reminded of"if God is with us,who can be against us",and it makes me feel invincincible,LOL! How can I ever thank Him for all His protection and loving care? Thank You Lord,Thank I have so much to Thank You For!

 

[soblessed53]

Both posts really ministered to me tonight! thanks ladies for sharing them

Soblessed....I am trying so hard to choose positive over negative, I am such an easily stressed person and I so want not to be..... God forgives and I am able to start over again the next day...THANK YOU LORD!!!

You are so welcome sweet sis. The same has happened to me many times,that I have just been overjoyed and uplifted by a post from one of my sisters or brothers. Sometimes I come here and feel like "I have been to church",and it is awesome,LOL! We will be praying for you sis Tammy to have a more optomistic outlook.Remember "if God be for us,who can be against us"and God has your back,dear sister. Here are some hugs for this morning,Love From Your Sis In Christ,Chris

 

[TammyInChrist]

Thank you precious sister "Soblessed Chris" for the hugs and prayers.... you're a special lady

Also the devotion was wonderful....I dont think I've heard the reason behind the still waters for the sheep, not being sure footed and their coats filling up with water so quickly.....we are his sheep and he knows we arent sure footed always so he must lead us beside still waters Wow!

Souls Journey Devotionals seem great, are they always that clear and informative? I will have to look for them

 

[NorwayUnn]

soblessed!!! thank you for sharing and blessing us again!!!!!

 

[soblessed53]

Thank you precious sister "Soblessed Chris" for the hugs and prayers.... you're a special lady

Also the devotion was wonderful....I dont think I've heard the reason behind the still waters for the sheep, not being sure footed and their coats filling up with water so quickly.....we are his sheep and he knows we arent sure footed always so he must lead us beside still waters Wow!

Souls Journey Devotionals seem great, are they always that clear and informative? I will have to look for them

You are quite welcome dear sis,but I am no one special. That is just Jesus in me that you see, and I thank the Lord that you were able to. I know there are time that I have failed Him and let Him down. Times when He was not able to reveal Himself through me. I pray that happens less and less often as I grown in Him.

I have heard this message and the fact about the sheep and still water preached as a sermon on Psalm23,it fascinated me so I was thrilled when I saw it at Soul's Journey on this site under the list of devotionals. I must confess that was my first experience with them as I never had the habit of reading a daily devotional until our dear sis BlestVessel, started this thread,but I intend to now! I would encourage everyone to start the day with one.

Another interesting fact I learned during the sermon on Psalms 23, was that if a sheep runs away, or is a "chronic wanderer" the shephard breaks it's leg with their shephard's crook,but then carries the sheep everywhere,that way the sheep becomes totally dependent on the shephard,so when it's leg is healed it will never wander from him again! Sometimes God has to break us to make us see we must depend on Him.

 

[soblessed53]

Here is today's Devotional from The Soul's Journey, but on the Daily Devotionals forum there are many different ones from you to choose from at the top of the page.


[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]keep after it [/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]1 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 [/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]
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One of the great sins in our churches today is Christians treating their spiritual journey as if it’s already done. “I’ve been to the cross and I’m going to heaven; what else is there?” Well, I’m here to tell you that there’s a whole lot more.



God doesn’t want to just save you, he wants to change you. This is the real work that God wants to do in you; it’s the work that conversion was designed to initiate. The cross is just the beginning of the Christian life; the rest is called sanctification. This is the process by which God takes sinful people and makes them holy.

Some key verses that mention this process are:

• 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3 “This is the will of God, your sanctification."

• 1 Corinthians 1:30 “He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption."

• 2 Corinthians 5:17 “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

If you choose to cooperate with God, you’ll understand how the things you’re seeing or experiencing are part of his plan. If you currently feel the weight of God’s transforming influence, just say to yourself, “He’s changing me,” and you’ll be right.

These are exciting days for you. Will you have faith to believe that your very best spiritual days are ahead? Your greatest victories could still be in the future? God’s best spiritual provisions are yet to come? There are personal victories that He wants you to experience? Now is not the time to put your feet up. You’ve been to the cross and God has begun in you the most amazing process imaginable. This is the will of God . . . your sanctification. Now keep after it. —James MacDonald walkintheword.com [/font][font=Times New Roman,Georgia,Times][/font]




[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]seeking: Father, how have you just spoken to my heart and desires? What new view of your will do I see? [/font]



[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]responding: How has my past been used by the enemy to stall God's transformation in my life? • In what ways have I been content not to change since my salvation? • What is one area of my life that I have seen God transform since coming to Jesus? [/font]

[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Thank you, Lord, that your passion is for my transformation. Anything you want to teach me I am willing to learn. Anything you want to change in me I am available to receive. [/font]



[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]following: God doesn't want to just save you. He wants to change you.
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[soblessed53]

Wow, today's devotional is just so good too. I really do love the 'Soul's Journey" Devotions.


[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]do your job [/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:1-5 [/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]
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Are you getting your job done? The apostle Paul gave this charge: “Preach the Word” (2 Timothy 4:2). We usually save the word preach for preachers, but it actually means “to publicly proclaim, to herald,” and it’s the job of every follower of Jesus. What your pastor is doing week after week is what we all should be doing every day of the year.



Put preaching at the top of your list, said Paul. “How are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14). “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16).

Paul was walking the walk. He was getting the job done in his generation. This gives him the full right to challenge you to proclaim the good news of Jesus to your neighbors, colleagues, family, and friends. Begin by getting in your “ready” stance (2 Timothy 4:2). Just like your basketball coach taught you—get on your toes, with your legs flexed, hands out, ready to go in any direction. Be ready in season and out of season; when it’s a good time and when it’s not. Get in the game!

If you’re not getting the Word out to others, you’re not doing the job God calls you to do. Doing the job will deliver staying power for your Christian walk. After all, who wants to be in the NBA if you can’t ever take the court? What kind of chef never makes a meal? Being a pilot gets really old if you never get to fly a plane.

Are you flat-lined in your faith? Tell someone today about how precious Jesus is to you. Pressured? Proclaim His all-sufficiency. In a rut? Get on your knees and plead, Take hold of me, Lord. Grip my heart with these truths you’ve entrusted to me and give me an opportunity to bring them to someone else. I urge you—get the Word out. Do your job today. It will ignite in you a fresh passion for Jesus. —James MacDonald [/font][font=Times New Roman,Georgia,Times][/font]




[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]seeking: Father, what have you called me to do? What have I just learned from your Word? [/font]



[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]responding: Have I embraced my responsibility and privilege to proclaim Jesus? • Am I ready right now to announce the good news, should the opportunity arise? • How am I making opportunities to share Jesus with my friends and family who have yet to experience his grace? [/font]

[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Lord, keep me faithful in doing my job. You’ve entrusted me with the truth to proclaim. Now give me the words to say and the opportunities for me to step up. I pray for the strength to be ready in good times and bad. [/font]



[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]following: Preach the Word—it’s your job.
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[TammyInChrist]

Two More Really Good Devotions


Thanks for sharing them

 

[BlestVessel]

Thanks for the posts, SoBlessed. I'm sure more people have been blessed by them than you can know. I do hope people don't read this thread and think "my devotion can't compete with that" or "I learned such a simple truth, everyone already knows."


Today, I had my devotions at a restaurant.
I frequently allow going out to remind me how little money I have right now.
I am unemployed and searching for a position so that I can go through medical school and had been greatly discouraged for the morning, feeling that employment was so far from me, and school even further.
Anyhow, after a gruelling morning of crying out to God from the very end of my rope, I sat down with my Bible at IHOP, where a friend of mine is a waiter, and began to study about patience and stewardship. I decided that I would study patience since I was doing all I could and my flesh was not feeling God was doing this timely or providing for my needs as He should. And stewardship because I want to be a good steward of my time and NOT become so caught up in the desperation of unemployment that I lose sight of my Master and Life's Purpose.

PROVERBS 3:9 Honour the Lord with thy substance and with the firstfruits of all thine increase KJV
Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops NIV

This was convicting for me. Normally, the FIRST would go to bills and groceries. But when I do have a job, I want my Lord to be honoured and acknowledged with its firstfruits. Opportunity to work and to earn income to bless the Lord with is such a high honour we so easily take for granted. It is how He provides for us, but it is such opportunity for us to testify with our incomes of His love for us and those we give to.

Another verse I came across was this:
Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

This was very encouraging for me. God has enabled me to be a giver, not only of money and possessions, but of my time. I think women have such a tendency to care for other people, and give and give, even if it is beyond what they have, that this is a special blessing, an exciting promise. He will refresh us. We may be completely unappreciated, the very people we serve may be hateful in return, we may weep because whatever we do for those we love is never enough. But Love Himself watches, Love Himself sees our efforts, sees our hearts, our needs and replenishes us, appreciates us, comforts us, and shows us that, yes, we will never do enough, we will never be enough in our own strength. But Christ that lives through us is. He has conquered our insufficiencies, our failures, our shortcomings, and because of Christ, God Almighty will always say we are enough and "come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest."

I crossed Luke 15 (?) and thought of the prodigal son who went out and wasted his money. All of us have done this. We've purchased excessive entertainment, a cd or movie, expensive clothing or jewelry, for the amount it costs in some countries to feed someone. No matter how generous or wise we think we are with money, our flesh seems to sneak in so many things that aren't to be counted, things "we deserve." I am thankful to see this. Because I know that I do not have the right, except by Christ, to escape Hell's fire, let alone live another day, and even more, have opportunity to earn an income. It is only by His miraculous grace that we acquire the luxury of service, the gift of being His treasured footstool. What times are these when someone like me can become angry at her Maker and demand "what do you want from me? How long will you wait and watch me suffer?"

By the end of my devotion, my friend told me he'd speak to the manager for me and even ran down the street on his break to ask another restaurant if they were hiring. It also turned out I knew another waitress there-a friend from a former church-and then SHE offered to speak to the manager to get me a position there as well. A girl whom I'd thought was my only friend in the world until this week met me there and edited my resume for me. Suddenly, three people have taken up my cause and whether I acquire the position or not is not the point. The point is: He hears us when we're tempted to feel as though we're speaking into the abyss, He knows our hurts and anxieties and when we wait expectantly, poured out and with all our hope solely in Him, He answers. He moves to say: I am here, I'm with you, I never left you, I love you more than you know, I've seen everything, I'm doing what's best, I'm taking care of you. As believers, we all face constant attack and mine comes in the form of the family I care for. They are a group of 3 sisters and one elderly mother who discourage my every move, mock me when I speak of my first Love, move away when I try to hug them, tell me how expensive I am to feed, correct me when I cook or clean because they have chosen to always see what is wrong with me, my flaws. For God to remind me that He is always there and I can depend on Him to minister to me, to love me, to serve me the way I serve my family, means all the world.

Anyway, I apologize for rambling on so. I can't seem to find a shorter way to express the kindness God has shown me. It is good for us to suffer and to lose all comfort except what we find in Him. Only then can we see that He truly is everything we need. Every moment of this life, it is an opportunity to give back to the One who gives us more than we can ever see.

 

[soblessed53]

Wow, that came from the heart and really touched me as good as any printed devotional. Anything as sincere as that has to affect a person's spirit. Wonderful insights and good lessons about how we must avoid focusing on self,no matter what in our spiritual walk. That was one thing Jesus always stressed, we must deny "self" daily,and you are fully aware of that,so I trust that you are surely on the path of spiritual growth. I will be praying for your situation,my dear sister. For you to feel the comfort of His arms and the radiance of His approving smile. I admire you,how with all you are going through,you have not sunk to wallowing in self-pity,which is the devil's tool of self-destruction. Your head and heart are just fine and where they should be. You will be just fine as well, for you know to keep your faith and your focus on Jesus. God Bless You

 

[TammyInChrist]

What a wonderful devotion BlestVessel absolutely from the heart, thank you so much for sharing and keeping us remembering the goodness of God inspite of our circumstances!

God is Good ALL THE TIME!!!

 

[NorwayUnn]

BlestVessel You moved me to tears! What an awesome testimony that was!

Thank you so much, sweet sister, for blessing us with your words. Made me think. I can never thank Him enough for His love and care for me. May Jesus bless you beyond your dreams, sister! You are precious to Him!
Thank You, Jesus for loving us!

 

[soblessed53]

I think this is so comforting to rely on,as we all have trials to face,and if we can remain focused on Jesus and His power,we cannot wallow in self-pity. From Soul Journey Devotionals,on this site under Daily Devotionals. God Bless You All.

[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]peace in the storm [/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?” Mark 4:35-41 [/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]
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Jesus got into the boat with his disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee. The water was calm and still and soon he was asleep. A storm started to brew, however, and it must have felt like the mother of all storms. For the disciples weren’t sure they were going to make it. They were overcome with feelings of anxiety and fear and rushed to the Lord, waking him out of his sleep: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”



Have you ever had that kind of experience? Perhaps you’ve been in peaceful circumstances and then one unexpected phone call brings a raging storm into your life. It threatens to overwhelm and engulf you. And as you pray, it seems as if the Lord is asleep. Then, as the storm worsens, you begin to panic.

That’s how the disciples felt. But when Jesus got up, he spoke to the wind and waves. With a simple word he stilled the waters.

The children of Israel panicked when they faced the Red Sea. The disciples panicked when they faced the Sea of Galilee. What is the raging water in your life? What is causing you to panic? Have you forgotten that you have a Savior who really does care? You may be thinking, Why doesn’t he still my waters? Here’s some really good news: He will still your waters. But only at the right moment. You may get wet. You may even get soaked, but God will help you.

Years ago, Martyn Lloyd-Jones commented that in many circumstances of life, faith is a refusal to panic. When feelings of anxiety have us in their grip, we can remember this truth—believing that Jesus has everything under his control. After Jesus calmed the storm, he looked at the disciples and asked, “Where is your faith?” You may feel that you don’t have a lot of faith. That’s okay. God knows and he hasn’t forgotten you. He will quiet your storm when the time is right. —Steve Farrar [/font]




[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]seeking: Father, what storm have you started to quiet in my heart this day? What has peace meant to me this moment? [/font]



[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]responding: How have I been reacting to the storms of life? • What does my faith mean to me in times of crisis? • What will be required for me to grow in my faith? [/font]

[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Father, you are the only one who can calm the storms of life. I cry out to you, acknowledging my need for you and your peace. I praise you for the faith you have allowed me to know. In Jesus’ name, amen. [/font]



[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]following: No storm is greater than God’s peace.
[/font]

 

[ImHisServant]

PROVERBS 3:9 Honour the Lord with thy substance and with the firstfruits of all thine increase KJV
Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops NIV

This was convicting for me. Normally, the FIRST would go to bills and groceries. But when I do have a job, I want my Lord to be honoured and acknowledged with its firstfruits. Opportunity to work and to earn income to bless the Lord with is such a high honour we so easily take for granted. It is how He provides for us, but it is such opportunity for us to testify with our incomes of His love for us and those we give to.

This is convicting for me as well... I too pay the bills and groceries first - It's always been hard for me to just let go and trust that I will still have enough to pay my bills. If I gave 10% - then by my records - some bills would have to go unpayed.

Another verse I came across was this:
Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

This was very encouraging for me. God has enabled me to be a giver, not only of money and possessions, but of my time. I think women have such a tendency to care for other people, and give and give, even if it is beyond what they have, that this is a special blessing, an exciting promise. He will refresh us. We may be completely unappreciated, the very people we serve may be hateful in return, we may weep because whatever we do for those we love is never enough. But Love Himself watches, Love Himself sees our efforts, sees our hearts, our needs and replenishes us, appreciates us, comforts us, and shows us that, yes, we will never do enough, we will never be enough in our own strength. But Christ that lives through us is. He has conquered our insufficiencies, our failures, our shortcomings, and because of Christ, God Almighty will always say we are enough and "come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest."

You'll never realize how badly I needed to hear that. It is with my children and teens that I feel like I give until I am past empty - and am not appreciated and even hated at times... and Satan wants me to believe that I will never see any fruit and it's not doing any good. Yet - I do get back up and keep giving again somehow. I thought it was the Holy Spirit convicting me that it wasn't right to give up... now I know that it is also God replenishing me and not allowing me to grow weary in doing good.

 

[NorwayUnn]

[font=Arial, Verdana]Daily Devotional
[/font] Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.

The Wisdom of God

Verses for the Day:

Proverbs 27:21 (KJV): As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.

Proverbs 27:21 (AMP): As the refining pot for silver and the furnace for gold (bring forth all the impurities of the metal), so let a man be in his trial of praise (ridding himself of all that is base or insincere; for a man is judged by what he praises and what he boasts.

Thoughts for the Day:

This verse from Proverbs tells us, just as the refining process of silver and gold brings out the impurities in them, praise given to a man, will also bring out the impurities in him. One of the hardest things for any man or woman to handle is when other men praise them, or they come into a position of fame and success. The fallen nature of man will always want to take credit for the things that he achieves in this world. Now certainly men are to be commended when they accomplish good things, but we must all keep in mind that none of us could do anything without the grace and favor of God in our lives. Without God we could do absolutely nothing. The Bible warns us not to boast about what we have done or what we plan to do, but rather realize that everything that we are able to accomplish is because a great and loving God gave us each of us the breath of life. God has a wonderful plan for every human being and what He desires of us is to surrender our lives to Him and allow Him to reveal to us what that plan is.

Proverbs 27:1: Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

1 Corinthians 3:7-13:
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

We must all remain humble before God and remember that whatever we do without God, amounts to nothing. When our works are tried by fire, if they were carnal things, done in our flesh, they will simply burn up. One of the ways those works are tried is when other men praise us. We must always give the praise and glory to God for our accomplishments. The Lord spoke something to my heart years ago when He said this to me, "Betty, I want to do a work in you to set you free from man's opinions of you. I want you to come to the place in Me that the praises of men will not cause you to feel exalted in pride, nor will their criticisms cause you to become fearful or discouraged. If you will offer the praises to me and discuss the criticisms with Me, you will not become lifted up in pride, nor knocked down by fear. Only by abiding in Me can you know this freedom."

If our works are things God commissioned us to do, then when the fiery trials in this life come, they will only be used to purify us so that we come forth as pure gold and bring much glory to God. If we give our lives to God and abide in Him, He gives us an amazing promise; we can ask what we will and He will do it. If we are truly abiding in Him, we would not ask anything amiss, that is why we are assured that our prayers would be answered! God wants to work in us, with us, and through us, so that we bear much fruit for Him!

John 15:4-7:
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, I am humbled that You would use me as an instrument of Your love in this earth. I stand in awe at the amazing plans You have for everyone of us who will come to You, and allow You to live Your life through us. I am so happy to be a part of Your family. Lord, I ask that You deliver me from all pride and fear, and especially the fear of man. May I always be more concerned what You think about me, than what men may think of me. I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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Christ Unlimited Ministries
Ministry Directors: R. S. "Bud" & Betty Miller
P.O. Box 850
Dewey, AZ 86327, USA
(928) 632-8005
www.Bible.com
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[soblessed53]

Amen! Sis Unni