“God’s Amazing Grace”
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I want you to visualize with me what it must have been like to be present during the crucifixion of our Lord. I cannot even imagine the pain and sorrow of those that followed Him. It must have be so horrible for those that loved Him to stand by and have to watch the one they loved agonizing in His death. There were those that heard what was spoken from His cross. As one point while Jesus was agonizing in his torture, and suffering He looked down and said “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Amazing, isn’t it? I think of the horrible pain and suffering His body was experiencing, and He still found it in His heart to speak that which was pleasing to His Heavenly Father.
Two criminals hung on each side of Jesus dying a death they both deserved, and this was their conversation: One of the criminals who were hanging to one side of Jesus was hurling abuse at Him,
saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has
done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:39-43 (NASB)
Him in our sin He simply forgives us, and wipes the slate of our heart clean. Amazing isn’t it?…He gives us something so precious, and we do not have to work for it because His Son did it all at the cross. The man on the cross did not deserve a second chance in the eyes of man, and the cross was his punishment. You see, this man’s heart was truly repentant, therefore he was with Jesus after he breathed his last breath.
Maybe you feel you have done some things, and you do not deserve a second chance. I want to proclaim today to you that we serve a God of second chances! Today may I stir your heart to think about what Jesus did on the cross for any sin you have ever done. There is no sin that His love and forgiveness will not cover. If you need a second chance I encourage you to look in His direction and ask Him for your heart to be cleansed and be made right with Him.. He is faithful to forgive and bless us with new beginnings. Amazing isn’t it?
“Guard the Moment”
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“Guard the moment in which you are living.”
As I pondered these words I could see that the Lord was admonishing me to guard the peace of my heart that was available to me in which every moment I live. He spoke to me about how I needed to just live by faith in the moment I am presently in, and be careful to guard all that is in each moment He blesses me with. Have you ever found yourself thinking too far ahead, and not enjoying the blessings of the Lord and His presence? How precious it would be if we just took one moment at a time entrusting it all to Him.
“May We Never Forget”
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President Abraham Lincoln referred to one dying for his country as the full measure of devotion. The valor of men and women that never came back from war made possible our freedoms, our values, and our very existence.
Did you know that a few years ago Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act. It asked Americans to pause for one minute at 3:00 p.m. local time and think about those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
It may seem like a small gesture, but it’s a way to, however briefly, keep faith with those heroes and maintain a tradition worth keeping.
“… respect to whom respect is due, and honor to whom honor is due.”
“Let Us Praise Him For His Loving Works”
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Amplified Bible
“For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your works; at the deeds of
Your hands I joyfully sing.”
God’s loving hand desires to lead, guide and be a means of direction every day of our life. Those same hands that direct us are there to comfort us in our times of pain. Let us receive all of His loving comfort, and do not seek it in other things that this world has to offer. The same hands that offer guidance and comfort will at times offer warning to us. Let us remember that God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what our weaknesses are, and He knows the wisdom and grace we need. Today I encourage you to think about the works of God’s hands in your life, and give praise to Him!
“We Walk By Faith”
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As I was meditating upon keeping focus I started to think about blinders, and their use on horses. There is definite purpose, and benefits to do such a thing, and that is for the focus and protection of both the horse and the rider. I would like to share some things that I found regarding using blinders on the horse, and I hope they will serve us as an interesting analogy, and give us greater understanding in the realm of focus, and teach us to rise above distractions.
In light of sharing about horses and blinders I want to refer to scripture that is all about our faith. Hebrews 11:1-3 is basically summed up in a few words…We walk by faith and not by sight. Many times it is the very things that we see that seem so sure and secure, yet those are the things that will hinder us the most from believing God to do the unbelievable. There are those times that we will need to purpose ourselves to look past everything in the natural, and see into the Spirit in order that we can stay focused and stay in faith.
side of us. As we look to His Word and refuse to be moved by what we see in the natural we will begin to see Him moving in our lives in ways we never have imagined. “…now unto Him who is ABLE to above and beyond all we dare ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20
“Walking On the Water By Faith”
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It is very important to know that when we are purposing to do God’s will that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is Him. Yet there can be those times that it seems a bit sketchy or too big for us to grasp how it is going to fall together. Getting out of our “boats” in this life could mean different things to each of us. All of us are at different growth levels and the Lord is molding and making each of us in His timing and in His perfect way. It is always important that we remember that the Lord requires our our obedience to His Word and to His voice at all times.
Saying all that I have said, I want to remind you today that Jesus is the author and finisher of YOUR faith. He desires to perfect all that concerns you in this life. He is the one who gives you incentive for your faith and He is the one who completes your faith. He is your example and you must look to that example if you become weak in heart from the discouragement that may come to rob your soul of hope and purpose.
“Now stay focused on Jesus, who designed and perfected our faith. He
endured the cross and ignored the shame of that death because He focused
on the joy that was set before Him; and now He is seated beside God on the
throne, a place of honor.”
Getting out of the boat for you may be God speaking to you about changing to a different job, going on a mission’s trip, sharing the Word of God with someone…etc. Sometimes getting out of the boat for someone may be the need for courage to face a confrontation. No matter what it is, Jesus is right there on the water with you. He has been there and done it, and He will complete that thing that you desire to set your faith upon.
“Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is
one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach
the goal before me.”
“When Jesus Calls You To Step Out”
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Matthew 14:25-31 (Easy to Read Version)
“Between three and six o’clock in the morning, Jesus’ followers were still in
the boat. Jesus came to them. He was walking on the water. When they saw
him walking on the water, it scared them. “It’s a ghost!” they said,
screaming in fear. But Jesus quickly spoke to them. He said, “Don’t worry!
It’s me! Don’t be afraid.” Peter said, “Lord, if that is really you, tell me to
come to you on the water.” Jesus said, “Come, Peter.” Then Peter left the
boat and walked on the water to Jesus. But while Peter was walking on the
water, he saw the wind and the waves. He was afraid and began sinking into
the water. He shouted, “Lord, save me!” Then Jesus caught Peter with his
hand. He said, “Your faith is small. Why did you doubt?”
I think there are so many lessons to learn from this portion of scripture. Peter always seems to be remembered for being the dear old soul that was always sticking his foot in his mouth. Isn’t it interest that it was the disciples that were frightened as they saw someone on the water walking towards them, but it was Peter that stepped out in his heart first to find out what was going on. When he asked, “Lord, IF that’s you…tell me to come.” Peter was at least willing to get out of the boat. I made emphasize on the words “But while Peter was walking on the water…” Let us be reminded here that Peter was doing the exact same miracle that Jesus was.
Proverbs 3:5 (NASB)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.”
I want to challenge your heart with this story. Many times Jesus is calling us out of our “boats” and these “boats” are actually our comfort zones. He is calling us to cry out for courage to get out of our comfort zone, and walk in a whole different realm. This realm or new task He may be calling us to walk in may challenge our faith like never before.
“God’s Perfect Love”
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perfect) love [a]turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For
fear [b]brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid
has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s
complete perfection].”
As I have said many times before it seems the Lord speaks to me in the everyday happenings of my life and I love it. In light of sharing about fear, I would like to share a little story about my German Shepherd that seems to be fearless yet there is one thing that can tip her off, and make her a bit scared and nervous. It’s that three letter word …the VET! . No matter how much I try to comfort her, she hates going to the vet. One time I took her when she was a bit younger, and she was quivering and shaking. It was so pitiful. With every bit of strength I had and the use of her choker, I had to drag this 85 pound bundle of fur back into the doctor’s office. I had her there for a shot and a nail trim, but for her it was walking into the fear of the unknown!
I gave a sigh of relief that I got through it with her and it all turned out okay!
I want to refer back to the scripture in light of this little story. “Perfect love makes our fear leave and expels every trace of terror!” Next time fear knocks on the “door” of your heart try to remember to keep your eyes on Him and visualize yourself experiencing the power of His love, and presence making every trace of fear and terror leave you. Fear and torment must obey, and leave the premises of your mind and soul in Jesus Name. Today let us ponder the power of His perfect love.
“In the Same Way…”
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” In the same way that iron sharpens iron, a person sharpens the character
of his friend.”
I shared with you yesterday about being a friend that is loyal to the truth, and living uncompromisingly in your friendships. I love the scripture from Proverbs 27:17, and I love the challenge it brings. I am sure everyone reading this has a friend or maybe you have many friends. A true friend will
keep their eye on you, and they will get to know your heart. They will be able to observe by a mere, slight change on your face that something is troubling you. In the event you fail or make a mistake, a true friend will never leave you. A true friendship withstands much hardship, and will continue to grow in the midst of trials. In fact we will see that the trials actually will be us stronger, if we handle them in God’s wisdom and His ways. An individual that loves their friend dearly will also desire to share their own personal strengths, and also draw from the strengths of their friend.
May we be ever mindful to be grateful to our Lord for the faithful friends that He has put in our lives. Thank God for those friends that have not walked away from us when they see our faults and they purposed to love us instead. We should be so thankful for those friends that love us enough to
speak God’s Word even when we do not want to hear it. Many times our mind and emotions may not want to hear the truth but our hearts should be rejoicing at the voice of godly counsel. We must value it, and allow it to minister to us that we can be sharpened by it both in character and in countenance.
“Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s
friend by hearty counsel.”
Today I encourage your heart to seek Him, and ask Him to help you be the best friend you can be to those that He has divinely put in your life. I pray that you will recognize the God given strengths in your friends . As iron sharpens iron, let us be willing to be used to sharpen as well as be sharpened!
“A Friend Loves At All Times”
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Let us focus on how God sees friendship, and how our living by the truth is so important as we nurture and maintain our friendships. We need to desire to be the friend that will be truthful and honest at all times. Many times people are very loyal in their relationships, and that is a good thing although we must first and foremost be loyal to the truth. Many times an individual is so loyal in a friendship that they fear to speak up and speak truth for fear of losing that relationship. I have shared this quote numerous times before, but I feel it is powerful. Actually, I have it hanging on my desk because I love it so much.
“This above all:to thine ownself be true,
And it must follow, as night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
-Shakespeare-Hamlet
In a friendship the truth in your heart can never be compromised. If you know something to be true in your heart and you do not stand by it, your conscience will make you miserable and to be quite honest…that is a warning that you better heed to. It is like the pain in your body that is speaking on it’s behalf letting you know something is wrong. Never water down the truth in you just for the sake of being accepted by someone. I shared with you the other day a quote, “That which you compromise to keep you will ultimately lose.”
speak truth and honestly in a matter. Many times people will view a good friend as someone they merely vent to and then draw sympathy from them. A true friend will speak of the truths that they know that will be of help to you in your situation. That truth will be boldly spoken even if it hurts. The following are two different translations of Proverbs27:6.
The Voice
“Wounds inflicted by the correction of a friend prove he is faithful;
the abundant kisses of an enemy show his lies.”
Easy-to-Read Version
“You can trust what your friend says, even when it hurts. But your enemies
want to hurt you, even when they act nice.”
Let me say it this way…many times when we are hurting we can be tempted to want to hear the easy way out of something. Be very cautious if in the midst of a problem you look for people to just vent to and not want to hear good counsel. Something is very wrong if you do not want to hear good counsel . Many times that which we need to hear is the hardest to swallow but so are some of those expensive vitamin pills we take! They may be hard going down but the benefits and blessing are worth it all.
I have had encounters with individuals that have sought my counsel and asked me what I have thought and afterwards they said my words “hurt.” Proverbs 27:6 says it plainly that wounds inflicted by the correction of a friend prove that he is faithful. Seems contradictory I guess to some but really a good friend will not go against their heart when asked their opinion. That is what being true to yourself is all about.
Today I encourage you to think about the kind of friend you are. Are you willing to speak the truth even if it hurts? I pray that this has given you some food for good thought in this area. God bless you as you serve Him today.
This is a good way of teaching the kids to forgive each other(Matt. 5:7). I like the power of this gentle scripture and lesson… Thanks!!
thank you Lisa for sharing. I am blessed that this was a blessing to you!
Ralph &I are really enjoying your devotional together.
So glad this is blessing you both!
Oh, what a wonderful reminder! I want to break the magnifing glass of worry and trust God for each step I take.
It is interesting Selena how the more we worry the bigger and more magnified things get in our minds. Oh how important it is to trust our God for the smallest of things! Thank you for sharing!