Philippians 2: 25-30
Note: For the Summer we are reprinting some devotions that ran back when we were getting this site up and running. Hopefully this is new content to you, and we will get back into writing fresh devotions as our schedule allows.
25But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. 26For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, 30because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.
Christians, like anyone else, can become really short sighted. It's easy to bash on older people because they don't like the same style of music, or they think it's too loud, or they won't give up their spots in the church, etc. Sometimes we get really narrow minded when we look at church styles, assuming that our way is the best way. What we don't realize is that there are others in the church who have seen church work in a particular style. I got the chance to sit down and talk with one of the older saints in our church recently, and he told me all about how they built the church, and how they got the property and everything else. And you know what? I listened to him and I honored him, because he paved the way for our church to be where it is right now. So the next time we want to complain about so and so doing whatever, remember that they were here first, and take a moment to honor them.
-Jeff-
Philippians 1: 28-30
Note: For the Summer we are reprinting some devotions that ran back when we were getting this site up and running. Hopefully this is new content to you, and we will get back into writing fresh devotions as our schedule allows.
28 Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30 We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.
At some point in our lives we've all been picked on. We've all had people say things behind our backs, or take our lunch money or whatever. Here Paul tells us not to be afraid when people say things about us, why, because we are citizens of Heaven! Jesus tells us not to fear people who can hurt us physically, but instead to fear God and do what He wants.
Sometimes when you read the Bible through you get the idea that God wants us to be in pain. In verse 29 it even says that we've been given the privilege of suffering for Him. Later in Philippians it talks about fellowshipping with suffering, like it's fun to hang out with or something. But when we know that God has a plan, when we realize that this is not our home, and when we know that He's right there with us, everything gets easier to handle. I don't like to hurt, but when my hurt draws me closer to God it's worth it.
-Jeff-
Philippians 1: 4-6
Note: For the Summer we are reprinting some devotions that ran back when we were getting this site up and running. Hopefully this is new content to you, and we will get back into writing fresh devotions as our schedule allows.
3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
There are certain people in this life who, whenever I think of them, I can't help but thank God for them. People who are behind the scenes in my life, yet do little things that make my life easier. So, even if I never say this, I appreciate you all for how much you do, hopefully you know who you are.
So how about you? Who are the people in your life that make things easier? Do you have people who partner with you? Make sure you say thanks to them.
Vs. 6 contains a promise that I love. It reminds me that no matter where I am in the journey, God's not done with me yet, and His promise is that if He's started something in us, He will complete it. So if God's been speaking something to you, take heart and know that even if it starts small, He will do it for you.
-Jeff-
The Parables of Jesus: Mark 4: 30-32
30Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."
The very first church ever started out with Jesus and 12 other guys. When Jesus made this statement, he was looking at the group that was going to turn the world upside down one day, but right then they were 12. And that's the way God's Kingdom on Earth started. Yet now those 12 guys have multiplied themselves by a billion. The Bible says that we shouldn't despise small beginnings. I know you have certain goals and dreams that you want to accomplish, but sometimes it's easy to look around you and wonder how you are ever going to get there. Step by step, day by day and eventually you're going to grow, as long as you're doing everything you can do to get there right now.
-Jeff-
Matthew 17: 14-20
14When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15"Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him."
17"O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." 18Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
20He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."Once upon a time, we see Jesus talking with his disciples about their "lack of faith." We're told that with the right amount of faith we can do anything, even move a mountain. When talking with a man whose son was possessed by a demon, Jesus told him to just believe. With faith we can do anything, and yet we see very little getting done. Why!?!
I like to compare faith to a receipt that you get when you pray. It's our assurance that the thing that we bought with our prayers will be coming to us. And really, with a receipt, it doesn't matter at all what size it is. The Bible talks in Galatians 6 about how we should not despise small beginnings, and that's what Jesus is saying here. If you have faith, it doesn't matter the size, because Jesus will help you with the rest.
More faith isn't better than less faith, it just means it's been exercised more. Think about it like a muscle, if you work it out (through using it) and nourish it (through prayer and Bible study) it will grow. If you don't it won't.
What will you use your faith to do today?
-Jeff-
James 5:10-12
10 For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.
12 But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.
Yesterday we talked about trying to press God for things when He wants us to wait on His timing. But what about when you're going thru something and you're waiting for Him to act? How is your patience then? Are you willing to trust in God to keep you from harm, or do you look to bail at the first opportunity?
Look at the prophets. Hebrews paints a pretty rosy picture of what they went through:
But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
When you're in trouble, where do you turn? Is God the first and only place you turn, or do you have a plan B?
-Jeff-
James 5:7-9
7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. 8 You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.
9 Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!
Patience is a virtue. What good does it do for us to pace back and forth and wait to go on that Disneyland trip that's not for another two months? How is that beneficial? In fact, there's two problems I see with impatience:
1) You focus on the future and miss what's happening around you right now. God is moving, but if we're not careful we'll miss it.
2) You try and push to make things happen sooner. And they don't happen in God's timing.
So trust in the Lord, wait on Him and you will see Him move in His timing.
-Jeff-
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