Month: March 2022

Give freely

March 28, 2022

I was reading these verses as a part of my devotion today. Then I looked at the notes for them in my Bible. I thought I would share them both today…

Proverbs 11:24-25 NLT
[24] Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. [25] The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Notes from Life Application Study Bible
11:24-25 These two verses present a paradox: How can we become richer by being generous? The world says to hold on to as much as possible, but God blesses those who give freely of their possessions, time, and energy. When we give, God supplies us with more so that we can give more. In addition, giving helps us gain an accurate perspective on our possessions. We realize they were never really ours to begin with; they were given to us by God to be used to help others. What do we gain by giving? Freedom from enslavement to our possessions, the joy of helping others, and a deeper relationship with God through an increased awareness of our dependence on him.

Living as God’s children

March 23, 2022

Today I looked at 1 John 3:1-10 for my devotions. It is all about how we should live as God’s children.

Verse 1 says “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!” We are reminded that God loves us and we are His children when we come to Christ. We are adopted into His eternal family, now and forever.

In verse 2 it tells us that we will be like Christ when He appears and in verse 3 were are reminded also to live a life of purity because Christ is pure.

John emphasised this point because false teachers were telling the people they could live how they wanted because the flesh was evil and it would be destroyed. They believed you could still be spiritual and live a sinful life.

John strongly condemns this thinking in verses 4-6…

“Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is”.

As we have seen in previous chapters we all sin at times as Christians. When we do, we confess and we are forgiven. Our Advocate in heaven represents us before the Father.

Someone who continues in sin, as the passage talks about, is someone who is not sorry for sin and has no desire for forgiveness and change. They don’t realise that living right is an important part of living as God’s children. John tells us that these people really belong to the devil and don’t really know God (v10).

Here are some questions for personal reflection and application:

  • Have there been times when you have continued to live in sin and not sought God’s forgiveness?
  • Do you understand that it is important to live right as we wait for Christ to return?

God Bless,
Dave

We need His wisdom

March 20, 2022

Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT – “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. [9] For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

God ways and thoughts are above our thoughts. He sees everything in relation to His plans and from an eternal perspective. This is why we need to pray and ask His will and His direction. We need to pray and seek His wisdom. The good news is that God wants us to know His will and plans. Proverbs 3:6 says, “Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Dear God, I seek Your will for my life today. Your Word says that Your ways and thoughts are above my ways and thoughts. Today I ask for Your wisdom and guidance. Let me know what You would have me do. Show me which path to take. I ask in Jesus’ name, Amen

A love for His Word

March 18, 2022

Psalm 119:36-40 NLT – Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money! [37] Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. [38] Reassure me of your promise, made to those who fear you. [39] Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good. [40] I long to obey your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness.

For my devotions this morning I read the above passage. It reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend years ago. My friend loved God’s Word, the Bible. He would always talk about the passages he read and how it spoke to him in his devotions. He could quote passages and God’s Word was never far from his lips.

One day I asked how he had such a love for God’s Word? Where did it come from? His simple answer amazed me. He said, “I asked God for it!” He went on to say that in the Psalms David often told God how much he loved His Word. He then simply asked God for a love of the Word like David had.

He then asked me if I sincerely wanted it. When I said, “Yes”, he prayed for me. That prayer changed my life. Today I want to pray a prayer for you. I will write it out below. If you want a real and lasting love for God’s Word, you can pray it too and say amen at the end. I believe it will be life changing for you!

Prayer

Dear God, I pray that I will truly love and desire Your Word like David did. I pray that I will read it and meditate on it day and night. I pray my life will be built on Your Word and Your commandments. I ask that the Holy Spirit will speak to my heart every time I open my Bible. I ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.

The hole inside

March 16, 2022

In my late teens and early 20s I started to wonder if there was more to this life. I started to wonder if there was more to this life than just go to school, get a job, get married and have kids.

The more I thought about it, I realised there was something missing. Like there was a hole inside me or there was a missing piece that I was looking for? Something was not there but I did really know what it was or where to find it.

Thankfully I made some friends where I worked that were Christian. When I talked to them I realised they had something that I didn’t. They had a peace and a solidness about them. It didn’t matter what happened to them in life, they just seemed to remain rock solid.

One day I asked one of my friends about it and they told me it was Jesus. Jesus was the anchor to their soul. In the midst of the storms of life that seemed to buffet others around, Jesus kept them anchored firmly to Him. He enabled them to weather the storms with a sense of peace. He was their solid rock.

One friend told me that when we ask Jesus into our lives as our Lord and Saviour, then He fills the hole inside us. The hole that makes us feel like something is missing or there is more to life, is for Jesus. We are created with that space inside us that is meant for Him.

After thinking about this for a while I realised I needed Jesus too. I spoke to one of my friends and they gave me a short pamphlet that explained how to accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. It is similar to the one that I have on my main website. It helped me to accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.

Today I would encourage you to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour too. If you are feeling there must be more to this life or you have a hole inside you, I want you to know that the answer is Jesus.

Please take a few moments to visit my “peace with God” page on my main website. My prayer is that you will find Jesus and you will allow Him to feel the hole inside of you too. You can find it here www.passionaustralia.org/salvation.html.

Be blessed,
Dave