Category: Bible

Our goal should be to please Him

April 2, 2021

For my devotions today I read 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 NLT. It says…

[6] So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. [7] For we live by believing and not by seeing. [8] Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. [9] So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. [10] For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

Five things jumped out at me today.

1. While we are here on earth we are not at home with the Lord in heaven.

2. Because of our eternal hope we would rather be away from our earthly bodies and be with Jesus.

3. Regardless of where we are, our ultimate goal is to live in a way that pleases Him.

4. As Christians we know one day we will stand before Him and give account for our lives.

5. We will receive what we deserve for the good and bad things we have done.

As Christians we have a great hope of heaven. Like the Apostle Paul we sometimes long to be away and our bodies and be present with Christ. Which as Paul says is better by far.

While we are here we have work to do on earth. And we also know that one day we will have to stand before Jesus and give account for the things we have done.

For some people judgement day is a scary day, but for others it is a day when they will see Jesus face to face and receive their eternal rewards.

For me personally I use these thoughts to motivate to be about God’s work while I am here. My goal is to please Him. How about you?

Children and heirs

March 25, 2021

When I do my devotions each morning I never cease to be amazed at how much the Bible contains in one or two verses. Today I read Galatians 4:6-7 NLT.

[6] And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” [7] Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

These two short verses tell us…

1. We are God’s children. John 1:12 also tells God has adopted us as His children when we believe in Jesus.

2. God sent the Spirit into our hearts. Jesus lives in our hearts by the Spirit’s presence.

3. We call out to God as our Abba Father. Some Bible scholars say the the word Abba is equivalent to the term Daddy.

4. We are no longer slaves but free as His children.

5. We are His heirs. Romans 8:17 says we are co-heirs with Christ.

I love knowing we are God’s adopted children, co-heirs with Christ, we are free, the Spirit lives in our hearts and we can cry out to our heavenly Father as a child cries to out to their Daddy.

I love God and I love His Word. It always has something fresh for us every day.

Our help comes from God

March 10, 2021

Today for my devotions I read Psalm 121:1-8. It is a wonderful Psalm that gives us comfort in times of trial.

As I read six things stood out for me…

1. Our help comes from God who is the maker of heaven and earth (v1-2)

2. He will not let us stumble because He watches over us always (v3-4)

3. The Lord stands beside us and protects us (v5-6)

4. The Lord keeps us from all harm (v7)

5. The Lord watches over our life as we come and go (v8)

6. He watches over us now and forever (v8)

These six things give me great comfort and confidence. It helps me to know that God is both with me now and watching over me always.

The supremacy of Christ

March 7, 2021

Today for communion I want to read a passage of Scripture from Romans 3 and share some thoughts. The passage is Romans 3:21-26. Six short verses with some powerful truths.

This week as I have been thinking about communion, my mind has been coming back to the supremacy of Christ. I have been thinking how He is far above all things. How nothing in all of creation compares to Him. As I have been dwelling on this I have been drawn to a few verses in Colossians chapter 1. It touches on this idea.

Colossians 1:15-20

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see–such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him. 17 He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together. 18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is His body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So, He is first in everything. 19 For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

In this short passage there is so much truth. Christ is the visible image of God. All God’s fullness dwelt in Him. He existed before creation. He is supreme over creation. Through Him all things were created. He holds all things together. He is the head of the church. So, Christ is supreme over all things.

Not only is He supreme, but He is the one who purchased our salvation. Verse 20 says, “and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.”

Jesus took all our sin and all of our wrongdoing, on Himself when He hung on that cross. He paid the price and He said it is finished.

So, as we stop and remember Jesus today. Let us remember that He is supreme over all creation, He is the head of the church, He holds all things together and He purchased our salvation.

Let’s pray

God’s love is un-breakable

March 2, 2021

This morning for my devotions I read Romans 8:38-39 in the passion translation. It says…

38 So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles,[a] fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. 39 There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!

As I read six quick thoughts came to mind…

1. We live with confidence that nothing can separate us from God’s love

2. His love will triumph over death

3. His love will triumph over life’s troubles

4. His love will triumph over evil powers

5. There is nothing in our present or future that can weaken His love for us

6. No power in the universe can distance us from His passionate love for us in Christ Jesus

As I dwell on these six things it reminds me that God’s love towards us in unbreakable.

He loved us and showed it in Christ’s death for us. He loves us today. He will love us forever and ever.

You are loved and kept by God for now and all eternity.