Devotion
Everything is Working out For Your Good
Chipo Biti
As Christians we know that the following things are true:
We love God with all our hearts and we are loved by Him too
As His children, we have been called according to His purpose
He has known us long before we came into existence
His plan of salvation for the world was predestined. It was a plan that was always meant to come
God desires that we be conformed to the image of his Son - that we become just like Christ in everything that we say and do
We have been justified by the blood of Jesus Christ
We have also been glorified, by Christ, as a result of receiving Him into our lives.
Romans 8:28-30 is one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible. It sums up God's intention for us and for our lives. In a world filled with trials and tribulations of many sorts, we can be confident because we are loved by God and we know that the plans that He has for us will always work us.
Think of it like this, God managed to sort out the greatest thing of our lives - our salvation. Without Jesus Christ, we would all be damned to hell and there would be nothing that could save us. But God, out of His endless love for us, sent His son to take the fall for us so that we would be able to live. Now, as Christians, we walk confidently because we know of where we are headed. We have received eternal life. A life that will not be revoked from us because of the love that we have for God.
Prayer
In a world filled with hopelessness and uncertainty, we can walk with our heads held high because we know that all is truly well with our lives. If God could turn around our eternity, the greatest thing in our lives, for us, what can't he do? Is there anything more important than the fate of our eternity? No!
So walk tall, dear believer, and know that you are covered. God has filled your life with his assurance and He will always be with you. Not only are you justified but you have been glorified as well. You have received a heavenly inheritance, as a child of God, and you have a glorious future to look forward to. Hallelujah!
Devotion
The First Fruits
Frances Taylor
In addition to the commandments, the Lord gave the people rules to live by that included dietary laws, laws concerning the various feasts that would offer blessings to God and ways of treating people that probably sound pretty strange to us today. But let's consider this one. Why do you think God is asking for the first fruits of the first harvest in the new land? To me, this is asking for a sign of gratitude for all that the Lord had done for them. He brought them out of slavery in Egypt, guided them through the desert, fed them during their journey, made sure they had water to drink and now is bringing them to a new land so that they can live in freedom. Think back to the story of Cain and Abel and their offerings. Abel offered the best of his harvest; Cain doesn't seem to have done the same. Offering sacrifice was a long-standing tradition at that time, in that culture. It would seem to be the natural thing to do. What are we asked to sacrifice ...
Morning Prayer
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Inspiration
The scribes could only teach in the synagogue saying, "the Scripture says this or that" or "the rabbis say such and such, " but Jesus taught as one having personal authority. He was not a mere scribe, nor even only a prophet, but the very Son of God.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the authoritative Son of God, and your Word is Law. You bring us the Words of the Father and you are the Word of the Father. We know that you have the Words of Life, and that salvation is to be found in no other. Help us to pay careful attention to your Words and teachings, knowing from whom they come. Amen.
