2 Thessalonians 3:5 May the Lord direct your heart

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Observation:  We need God’s love to persevere as Christ persevered.  Christ is our example in perseverance. 

Application:   I need to persevere.  Do it in the Godly way, not the whining way.   I need to allow the Lord to direct my heart. 

Prayer:  Lord, yeah for your love.  You are amazing to me. You persevered for us.  Your perseverance showed us your love.  Your example is our example.  Help me Lord to accept your direction and obey your Word.  Help me Lord to be an example for you.  Lord I am not worthy of such perseverance from you.  Your love for me is more than I can comprehend.  How deep and how wide is your love for me.  Lord, I am amazed by you.   Thank you for your continued amazement.

2 Corinthians 11:29-31, Amazingly, God uses our weaknesses

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:29-31 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?   30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying.

Observation:  Paul is writing this.  It seems he is trying to say:  he is weak, he inwardly burns.  Yet he boasts in his weakness.  Paul is a sinner and has weaknesses like everyone else.

Application:  God is to be praised in our weakness.  He wants me to acknowledge my weakness.  He wants me to boast of the thinks that show my weakness.   I need to share. I need to boast.   People need to know that I am not lying.   

Prayer:  Yeah Father, Lord of my life, it amazes me that you use my weakness.  My desire to drug myself with food, to be inactive and not active is my weakness.  Lord I shout that I want you to be in control.  This world is out of control.  There is so much wickedness.  Help me to see what my next step is Lord.  Thank you for your continued presence in my life.  I am so thankful that you are always there, even when I do not sense you or turn away.   Amen.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Demolish Strongholds with God's divine power

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Observation:  Our weapons are not for the world to understand.  They are divine and demolish strongholds.  Yeah that God’s salvation, His LOVE is divine.  It is powerful. More powerful than the world. 
 
Application:   Believe that God’s divine power demolishes the sin that holds us strong.   Rely on God and God alone.   Do not seek the world’s view.  Take captive every thought and make it obedient.  Seize those thoughts and turn them over to Christ.

Prayer:  Lord Almighty, your divine power demolishes strongholds.  Lord I am sorry that I do not turn over every thought to you.  Help me to know your will, know when my thoughts are outside of your will.  Help me Lord to hear and sense you.  Thank you Lord for Christ, for salvation through HIM!

2 Corinthians 1:3-6, Patient endurance starts with distress

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:3-6 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.  If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 

Observation:  Jesus is the Father of compassion and all comfort.  He comforts us so we can comfort others.  We share in God’s compassion in the same way we share in his sufferings.   The fact that we need comfort during our sufferings produces patient endurance.  Our need for comfort provides for us to rely on Jesus’ compassion during our suffering.  Our suffering and acceptance of Jesus comfort, builds patience and endurance. 

 
Application:  Understand I need to rely on Jesus whenever I am suffering.  I need to reach out to others when they are suffering so that they sense the compassion of Jesus.  I am the hands and feet of Jesus.  Caring for others is part of my process to patient endurance.

Prayer:  Lord, I am sorry for those I do not see.  As I rush through life, I know that I am missing blessings for others that result in a blessing for me.   Lord, You are the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.  Help me to see whom I am to comfort.  Who am I to show compassion?  I am blessed to receive so much from so many.  Help me to see whom I am to bless.  Amen.

Mark 14:16 Finding things just as Jesus told them.

Scripture: Mark 14:12-16 12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”  13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him.14 Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’  15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”  16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.


Observation:  In verse 16 the disciples found things just as Jesus had told them.  The disciples were used to listening, following Jesus direction, and expecting things to be as Jesus directed. 

It amazes me over and over when I am prompted by God that something will happen, or to do something that I don’t understand the “why”, yet after I am obedient and do or say what I am prompted to do or say, it all amazingly fits together.

Application:  I need to stop questioning and start obeying.  I take too long to respond at times.  I am unsure, hesitant, and afraid.  I need to spend more time responding and less time questioning. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am sorry for the times that I do not respond or delay my response.  Jesus, you are my salvation.  I want to respond to you always in love and obedience.  Lord, help me to hear your voice, help me to respond in the most appropriate way that you desire.    Thank you for all the times that I sense your presence, your voice, your hand on my life.  I continue to be amazed.  Lord, I want to continue to be amazed by you. Amen.

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Matthew 5:9 Be a peacemaker every day

Scripture:  Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

I was away at the Fresh Image retreat at Beulah Beach in Vermillion, OH over the weekend.  It was my first time to attend.  There were 151 women from all types of churches seeking a Fresh Image of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Our theme was Faithfulness.  The scripture provided to me was Matthew 5:9. In my devotion book, Jesus Calling, I was provided 3 scriptures that speak of peace: Psalm 23:1-3; Genesis 2:2-3; and Luke 1:79. Each has their own take on peace.
Psalm 23:1-3

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. ² He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, ³ he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Genesis 2:2-3

² By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Luke 1:79

⁷⁹ to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Observation:  Jesus is the peacemaker.  As a Christian and my walk to become more like Christ, I too must be a peacemaker, everyday. 

Application:  Yesterday as I thought through my   verse Matthew   5:9 I was thinking there was something looming in the future.  Now I am thinking this applies to my everyday life. Be the peacemaker every day.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, help me today, every day, to be a peacemaker for those around me.  Help me to know how to seek peace and be a peacemaker. 

Acts 26:31 Share the truth about Jesus at every level

Scripture:  Acts 26:31 After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”

Observation: Both Festus and King Agrippa acknowledge that Paul has not done anything to warrant a death penalty.   This is similar to when Jesus stood trial and Herod and Pilate did not find anything to warrant Jesus’ death.   Still in both situations, they defer to the public’s requests as well as Paul’s to go to the next level of the courts. 

Application:   We need to share the truth about Jesus at every level.  Sometimes we think we are only to speak about him to the lost that we see close or far.  We need to share the Good News to everyone at every level no matter where we are.

 

Prayer:  Lord Almighty, forgive me for sharing your Good News on my terms.  You are my salvation.  Help me to hear, observe, sense who I am to testify to about your saving grace.  I thank you Lord, for your love and amazing grace.  Amen