Devotion II Thessalonians- 8/6/21

To think of God’s faithfulness is amazing. To think He is perfect, He is apart from evil, and He brings people into His world in heaven from His son Jesus Christ is amazing. He could have not given us the chance at eternal life to live for Him and to spend with Him in heaven which we would have deserved because of our sin but He still wanted us with Him.

He is faithful to His word in letting an ultimate “lamb of God” come to earth one without blemish to die for our sin which we could have died and been a part of God’s wrath. He then put that wrath on His Son, His only Son, to die and go in our place!

I can’t fathom what God the Father would dwell on when He looked at His son and saw the world’s sin and turned away. He was seen as sin to God because every sin was laid on Him.

He bled and then died taking our punishment and rose again, bodily and is one day coming again!

To think He has done so much in people’s lives in the bible and in our lives as well, how great is God’s faithfulness!

I keep falling short of Him. I must realize though also because I keep depending on my strength that even if I am faithful it is God’s glory I should depend on because I still can’t make things “right” with Him. I still have sin no matter what I do but I can sin less because there are things I can avoid as I know what is right and wrong.

I must remember what He has taught me up to this point in my life and to resist the devil’s plans which is to avoid living for God.

But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. II Thessalonians 3:3

I should use my body as a living sacrifice to God.

To have my body to be to serve Him totally and fully. And treat it like it is an instrument of “righteousness” to God like when Paul encouraged the people He wrote to which we find in Romans 6:13.

I miss the intimacy that I used to have with relationship to God and I want to return to that because it is what He desires of all of us, to be close to Him.

God may we all see how awesome it is to live for You. Thank You Lord for Your faithfulness and may we be established in Your will and keep guard so You can keep us from the evil one Satan. Amen.

Devotion 2 Corinthians and Faith 7/1/21

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What does it mean to have faith? Is it okay to have a faith in some higher power or is it okay to have faith in yourself? Can a person who is a Christian who hopes to only live alone be in great faith in the Lord?

Can God make a way where a believer is a completely different person from what they were before, through Christ?

Hmm, I think most of these are great questions. One reflects more of the world in wondering but if you yourself are a believer you may know that there is a difference (hopefully).

Here is the key verse for today:

For we walk by faith not by sight.

II Corinthians 5:7 NKJV

What does this mean?

Is there an “I” in faith? Yes literally, haha, but in a rather expressive sense, the only thing a believer should do is depend on the Lord and not in self.

It might be hard but even those who claim to be strong (or who say they might be stronger than others) will have this “I” attitude. Even saying that only caring about what God wants and not giving a crap about being with other believers is like having an “I” attitude.

I myself used to think that the church wasn’t important to me. There was a time I thought a church was just a “place” to go to not a body of believers. But it is a time to fellowship to lean on each other and help each other be lifted up emotionally, depending on each other through the love of Jesus.

It’s sad many Christians today now see themselves important over people they should share the gospel to, a strange newer attitude like an “I” one where own goals own drawing from the word is the only thing they think that they themselves should focus on in life.

Though we have the tendency to focus on ourselves, one should not come into a church and think that way. People who do that will probably come in, not talk to people and leave as soon as the “credits” roll, err I mean, when the service has ended.

Are we to act like we are in a movie theater or a body of ones who have learned to be love to one another?

We must have genuine love and also through a unified faith in Christ, we can help guide each other in God-honoring love that is deeper than the world would ever understand.

Also we must know that if we want to live in and for Christ, God can do amazing things in our lives!

I can only boast of the power of and transforming grace of Jesus because He has done things in my life that were not my effort, these in my old life would be impossible.

To keep faith in Jesus and be close to His Word as one walks day to day they will experience change.

And that is because of something that is what Paul mentions later in Second Corinthians about being “new” because of Christ’s blood and revealed love, to be changed by His grace.

In verse 17 of chapter 5, the writer describes being a new creation. It says that if one is in Christ they are a “new creation” and the “old things” have gone as behold by the power of God all things have become new!

When Christ died on the cross the sin of the world was being paid for as He was the lamb of God the sacrifice for all sin.

When Jesus shed His blood it was for the alcoholics, ones with the heart of Saul, people recklessly and hopelessly stuck in sin, people who don’t know any better than what their family taught them, the thieves, the liars, the ones who struggle every day yet feel their sin is not “savable” or can be loved by God, all of the world’s so-called “life,” torn apart by the awful stink of sin.

So if you have wondered what the faith is all about, I hope you one day will know and experience this life yourself.

One can only tell you what the life in Christ is because you would one day have to believe to really understand. It will not be an easy journey but it will be worth it. I sincerely hope you do have it happen in your life, today or maybe soon but all I know is God knows the way your heart really is, believe in something! Maybe you’ll learn to believe in God sooner or later, just don’t let it be too late!