29
Mar '22
His Incredible Love
29
Mar '22
For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. (Isaiah 54:10)
The prophet Isaiah was painting an amazing picture here.
Even when it seems the world is crumbling apart with darkness looming, mountains shaking, and hills being removed, the love of God will remain an unmovable foundation, and His supernatural peace will be undisturbed.
This is an incredible and eternal foundation we can build our life upon.
No other foundation of the earth can compare to the one God offers us.
His incredible love is truly indescribable!
In order to grasp this incredible love, we must have a real revelation of it.
It’s one thing to believe something, and another to receive and experience it in full measure.
To know the love of God intimately is to know freedom. The more we pursue God with passion and hunger, we can ask the Holy Spirit to help us and empower us to know this amazing love that transcends human understanding.
Have you felt like mountains and hills have been shaking and crumbling around you?
Hear the Lord saying to you today, “you are safe and secure with Me, beloved.”
Dwell in His presence today, and know His peace and compassion have not been removed. God will never let you go. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. He holds your world in His hands, and no matter what may come, His love is here to stay
“Lord, thank you for your unshakable love that is mine for the taking. Even though the world will fail me, your unfailing love will never waver. In your love, I am secure.”
There are so many parts of this devotion that I love so much. “To know the love of God intimately is to know freedom”, “you are safe and secure with Me, beloved.”, “His love is here to stay” and I could go on and on. I hope and pray you are reminded, just as todays devotion says, In His love, you are secure.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
26
Nov '20
His Boundless Love
26
Nov '20
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:39)
Do you ever feel like you don’t know what to pray? Do the problems in your life seem so overwhelming that you can’t even form the words to tell God about it?
As a believer, you are not alone in handling your problems. God hears and knows your heart. He has sent His Holy Spirit to intercede for you. So even when you don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit is mediating for you. That is how much God loves you! Nothing in all creation can separate you from His boundless love!
As you bring your requests to Him today, can you trust Him to do what is best for you? He wants your whole heart. He wants to grow your faith in Him. As believers, we each face difficulties, trials, and situations that are painful. But God understands and wants to give you abundant life in Him.
Nothing can separate you from His constant love and companionship. You can trust Him with your burdens.
This devotion blessed me. I pray you are encouraged today to trust that God can turn your burdens into blessings. Trust Him. Take a deep breath today and talk to Jesus, He’s waiting to intercede for you. Go to Him in prayer.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord and Happy Thanksgiving!
24
Dec '19
His Love
24
Dec '19
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
How do we become persuaded or convinced that nothing can separate us from the love of God?
First, we must know Him over a lifetime of pursuit, study and prayer.
We won’t mature in our faith, or know anyone deeply and intimately unless we spend time with them.
If our focus is church fellowship, but we neglect to get alone with God, we will not be persuaded.
If our focus is serving others, but we neglect to get alone with God, we will not be persuaded.
If we do not spend time alone with God we will never have more than superficial knowledge of who He is.
The second way to truly be persuaded and convinced of His love is to stop measuring the love of God through our circumstances.
God‘s presence is for all the seasons and cannot be taken from us.
We live in a fallen world. We will experience heartache and brokenness.
But, God’s love is there to redeem us, to give us victory over our circumstances, and bring hope to the desolate places in our life.
TODAY: Let me not be tossed around by the highs and lows of my relationships or circumstances.
Let me seek Him through alone time with my Heavenly Father that I may truly experience the depth of His love.
That we henceforth be no more like children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, or by the sleight of [crafty] men. (Ephesians 4:14)
I pray you are just as blessed by this devotion as I was. I hope you take away two very import truths from today’s devotion, stop measuring the love of God through your circumstances and let us not be tossed around by the highs and lows of our relationships or circumstances. God’s love cant be explained, only experienced.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
04
Jun '19
The Lord Rejoices
04
Jun '19
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
You My grandmother recently sent me a folder full of old photographs, and as I thumbed through them, one caught my eye. In it, I’m two years old, and I’m sitting on one end of a hearth in front of a fireplace. On the other end, my dad has his arm around my mom’s shoulders. Both are gazing at me with expressions of love and delight.
I pinned this photo to my dresser, where I see it every morning. It’s a wonderful reminder of their love for me. The truth is, though, that even the love of good parents is imperfect. I saved this photo because it reminds me that although human love may fail sometimes, God’s love never fails—and according to Scripture, God looks at me the way my parents are looking at me in this picture.
The prophet Zephaniah described this love in a way that astounds me. He describes God as rejoicing over His people with singing. God’s people had not earned this love. They had failed to obey Him or to treat each other with compassion. But Zephaniah promised that in the end, God’s love would prevail over their failures. God would take away their punishment (Zephaniah 3:15), and He would rejoice over them (v. 17). He would gather His people into His arms, bring them home, and restore them (v. 20).
That’s a love worth reflecting on every morning.
How does it make you feel that God rejoices over you with singing? How have you experienced His love?
God, thank You for Your forgiveness and faithful love for us. Amen.
This devotion blessed me. I pray it opens your eyes to see just how loved you are by God. I am reminded of Luke 15:3-7. He will leave the ninety and nine to go after the one who is lost until he find it. And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.What a mighty God we serve.
Have a beautiful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is John 16:33
10
Apr '19
In the Moment
10
Apr '19
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life. . . No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself . . . (John 10:17-18)
The ambulance door was about to close—with me on the inside. Outside, my son was on the phone to my wife. From my concussed fog, I called his name. As he recalls the moment, I slowly said, “Tell your mom I love her very much.”
Apparently I thought this might be goodbye, and I wanted those to be my parting words. In the moment, that’s what mattered most to me.
As Jesus endured His darkest moment, He didn’t merely tell us He loved us; He showed it in specific ways. He showed it to the mocking soldiers who had just nailed Him to a cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). He gave hope to a criminal crucified with Him: “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (v. 43). Nearing the end, He looked at His mother. “Behold thy son,” He said to her, and to His close friend John He said, “Behold thy mother” (John 19:26–27). Then, as His life slipped from Him, Jesus’s last act of love was to trust His Father: “Into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
Jesus purposefully chose the cross in order to show His obedience to His Father—and the depth of His love for us. To the very end, He showed us His relentless love.
When I read this devotion it depicted a very real image of what Christ went through for you and I, why, because He loves us, before we were even born, He chose to die for me, for you. What an example to follow knowing that every word of Jesus was spoken in love. I am reminded of James 1:29, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. May we ponder these questions today, What matters most to you? How do love and obedience fit together?
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalms 51:1-2
25
Mar '19
Set Free!
25
Mar '19
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)
My mom was the only child born to a 13-year-old single mother in the 1930s. She grew up poor and feeling unloved. My mom was an angry woman who didn’t appear to like being a mom. She raised us the same way she’d been raised, with a harsh tone and little affection. So we grew up feeling unloved too. Around fourth grade, mired in shame and guilt of my own, I began to lash out at others. The girls who seemed to come from loving and caring families became the ones I targeted on the playground after school. I hated those girls. My actions didn’t make me feel better, though. In fact, I felt worse. One summer during Vacation Bible School, I learned about Jesus. I learned that he loved me to the point of death on the cross and that he died so that I would not have to feel shame and worthlessness. I couldn’t imagine someone loving me like that. I finally felt comforted, knowing that someone loved me. I was a new creation. (See 2 Cor. 5:17.) I didn’t have to hate girls whose moms took care of them. In loving others who came from better circumstances than I did, I could actually experience the love of God and become the kind of person God intended me to be.
Dear Lord, give us the desire to show others love as you have loved us and the strength to treat others well regardless of our circumstances. Amen.
This devotion blessed me. I pray it changes your perspective regardless of your circumstances and in return show The Love of Christ and pray for those who treat you badly. You never know what that individual is dealing with. A moment of hate can devastate a lifetime of work, whereas a moment of love can break barriers that took a lifetime to build. Use me today Lord to love beyond my own circumstances and help break barriers that may have taken a lifetime to build for you are The Way, The Truth and The Life. Use me to help others experience your Love so they too can become the kind of person you intended them to be.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalms 19:14
05
Mar '19
Friends?
05
Mar '19
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands . . . (Isaiah 49:16)
While waiting with my sick children to see a pediatrician, I noticed a face that looked familiar. As she came closer with her two kids in tow, I was pleasantly surprised that I remembered her name and that she was a classmate from back in my secondary-school days. However, what could have been an exciting reunion turned slightly embarrassing when I went over to say hello and she didn’t recognize me or recall my name — even after I introduced myself! I was even more perplexed by this encounter since she is a Facebook “friend” of mine. However, it dawned on me how easily the roles could have been reversed, that I could have been the one who had forgotten her name. This experience reminded me how grateful I am that I have a God who not only calls me friend but whose palms are inscribed with my name. I marvel that while I struggle to recall the name of a few hundred acquaintances and former colleagues, God invites all 7.6 billion people on this earth to be his close friends! My prayer is that I will cultivate a meaningful, personal relationship with God so that I can recognize God’s voice and follow God’s will every day.
Dear God, thank you for loving us and calling us each by name. Amen.
When I read this devotion I was instantly reminded of Luke 12:7, But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. No matter what difficulty your facing today be encouraged, you are more than a friend to God, your name is inscribed in the palm of his hand. Wow! God loves you far more than you can even imagine, what love. Remember today, you are loved more than you will ever know by someone who died to know you.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Deuteronomy 6:6-7
16
Nov '18
Putting Up Hay
16
Nov '18
Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. (Romans 4:7)
When I was in college, I worked a summer on a ranch in Colorado. One evening, tired and hungry after a long day of mowing hay, I drove the tractor into the yard. Acting like the hot shot I thought I was, I cranked the steering wheel hard left, stamped on the left brake, and spun the tractor around.
The sickle was down and swept the legs out from under a 500-gallon gasoline tank standing nearby. The tank hit the ground with a resounding boom, the seams split, and all the gasoline spewed out.
The rancher stood nearby surveying the scene.
I got off the tractor, stammered an apology, and—because it was the first thing that popped into my mind—offered to work the rest of the summer without pay.
The old rancher stared at the wreckage for a moment and turned toward the house. “Let’s go have dinner,” he drawled.
A scrap of a story Jesus told passed through my mind—a story about a young man who had done a terrible thing: “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,” he cried. He intended to add, “make me as one of thy hired servants,” but before he could get all the words out of his mouth his father interrupted him. In essence, he said, “Let’s go have dinner” (Luke 15:17–24).
Such is God’s amazing grace.
Father, we celebrate Your gracious and lavish forgiveness. Thank You for the peace and freedom it brings us as we enjoy a family relationship with You. Amen.
This devotion blessed me. What an example of love and forgiveness in two different situation. It’s incredible to me that God’s love and forgiveness is even greater. What a privilege to be sons and daughters of the King!
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 1 Corinthians 15:57
24
Sep '18
Are You So Foolish?
24
Sep '18
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:3)
There are times that we all get discouraged when we try so hard in our homes and in our work. We want to do the best we can. We want to be giving and loving in our efforts. We want to know that we are pleasing the Lord. We equate blessings with God’s favor, thinking that it is our motives and actions that are being rewarded. So when things don’t go well, we wonder what we are doing wrong. It is a common misconception, but God doesn’t work like that. His grace is not gained by our good behavior. Because we are under the covenant of grace, we are called into rest. That is why it is so important to hold on to His promises. He is always working in us and with us. His plan is that we almost become passive in the process. We get tired of trying as we get caught in the middle between His promises and our efforts. Our hearts long to spend time with the Lord but there are always too many other factors competing for our attention. These factors take away our energy, and at times, make us feel like we can’t do it all or we didn’t do a good job anyway.
If God has given you promises, then He is the One who is responsible to fulfill them. God does not need our help or efforts. What He has started in the Spirit will not ever get accomplished in our flesh. It is the enemy who tries to discourage you. Satan will put thoughts in your mind of doubt and self defeat. Out loud, tell those evil forces that God has a plan regardless of your abilities. You choose to rest in His promises instead of worrying and doubting God by looking at yourself. Tell the Lord that you are choosing to focus your eyes on Him. And then, get into His Word and claim those promises. His Word puts you on the Rock, and our only responsibility is to stand firm on that Rock.
I feel the biggest thing to walk away with from this devotion is to focus your eyes on Him, dig into the word and claim those promises. I am reminded of Isaiah 55:11, So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Stand firm on The Rock today! God has a plan!
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 59:16
29
Aug '18
You Love Me?
29
Aug '18
I have loved you, saith the Lord . . .(Malachi 1:2)
The Israelites questioned how much God loved them because of their time in captivity in Babylon. But that captivity was God’s correction for their continued rebellion against Him. So now, God sent the prophet Malachi to them. His opening words from the Lord were, “I have loved you” (Malachi 1:2). Israel replied skeptically, inquiring as to how God has loved them, as if to say, “Really?” But God, through Malachi, reminded them of the way He had demonstrated that love: He had chosen them over the Edomites.
We all go through difficult seasons in life. We may be tempted to question God’s love for us during those times. Let’s recall the many ways He’s shown us His unfailing love. When we stop to consider His goodness, we find that He is indeed a loving Father.
Lord, You have shown tender care for me over the course of my life. You’ve been present with me in difficult seasons. Help me to always remember Your love. Amen.
I pray this devotion blesses someone today who may be in a difficult season of life. Stop and reflect on the many ways He has shown His unfailing love to you. He will comfort you, He loves you. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 27:14