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!

Devotions- 5/20/21 Proverbs 1:7-9 and Psalm 7:9

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother; For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck. Proverbs 1:7-9 NKJV

Sometimes instruction is very tough on us even if we know that people have the right heart in mind.

Anyone who has ever had tough yet dedicated parents in their lives in lifting up their “child” over the years (as in “you”) might think about them.

It is good to have parents who have the best intentions. Who hope the person in their life who they want success in life not only has knowledge but shows fear towards doing bad or having committed wrong and thinks what their parents might do to punish them. They may also hope you have that applied knowledge as a part of your own life.

But notice I said “best intentions” because I mean parents who aren’t the reflection of deep and harsh abuse. I digress so let me go back to what I said earlier.

It is actually good to fear parents who punish when you have done wrong. Or fear if they know their parents will do something that is normal in punishment if they got straight D’s or F’s in school!

I wonder if fear is something us as people had to learn after the fall: The fall of men (and through man, women).

After Adam and Eve we had to experience and still do an awful thing called Sin. Adam was completely responsible, a person to run things in life but instead of that, he chose to eat the fruit. He has had such an awful impact on this world that Eve isn’t even accounted, it seems, to sin entering the world. (“Sin entered the world through one man…” a paraphrase and part of beginning of Romans 5:12). What a sad legacy to leave the people following everyone who wants to worship something, let alone people who might have to live in God’s sight that sin is now a part of. To live for something but because of a tainted body, a sin-filled body, is now a part of people who were and are created, unfortunately.

Now that we are accountable to sin where death is spiritually an absolute for the physical body we need to fear God in order to live for goodness.

What can we do? We must follow His instruction. Either to be saved, to learn to fear Him about right and wrong, and also to live life since one day we won’t get the chance to live on in this earth but will be accountable at the end to how we have all these years lived!

That is a great reason to live for God through Christ.

And we should not forsake our parents or parent figures with good intentions’ “rules” to live life.

We must in life show love towards all people, not just the ones we already care about. Just be careful about the wicked because they have not good hearts even if we might witness or share things that are good with them with a good heart.

Here’s a partial verse, note some is paraphrased. It says basically: “Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; God (in His righteousness) tests the hearts and minds.” Psalms 7:9.

Let us live wholeheartedly for goodness and love in Christ. Or live for ones who are hurting and needy. Let’s live for the goodness that Is God!

Let us live to be “tested” so that we will be without blame as we live in Jesus through the Holy Spirit as new creations.

Amen!