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Christian Devotional – December 7, 2017
Have you ever told God what to do? I have, countless times. Most of us have at one point or another. God does something we didn’t expect or don’t like and we tell God how He should go about fixing that. Mary and Joseph were no different. When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house? ” Luke 2:48-49 NASB…
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Christian Devotional – December 6, 2017
Who knows us best? Often we may have a friend or two that seem to know us really well. We may even think that we know ourselves best. However, God knows us even better than that. He knows and understands us better than we know ourselves. Reading through Luke 2:1-40 we see the birth of Jesus told. God revealed to several people exactly who Jesus was without going through Mary and Joseph. In fact, often Mary and Joseph were surprised by how others responded to the baby. And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. Luke 2:33 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.2.33.NASB People kept coming…
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Christian Devotional – December 5, 2017
Impact. We have an impact on the people around us. We are constantly coming into contact with people who will take something from having onteracting with us. What is the impact we are having on others? In Luke 1:57-80 we see what John the Baptist’s impact was: All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him. Luke 1:66 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.1.66.NASB People could tell that God’s hand was with him. They saw and felt the influence of God. Even though people may not know exactly what that would mean, they couldn’t deny…
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Christian Devotional – December 4, 2017
Mercy, arrogance, and humility. These three words are not often used together, but they make up the theme of Mary’s song in Luke 1. As we read her story in Luke 1:26-56 we see these verses: ” and his mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him . “He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. Luke 1:50-52 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.1.50-52.NASB Mary is singing of her joy at being chosen as the mother of Christ. She recognizes that the mercy…
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Christian Devotional – November 29, 2017
Where do you stand? As we move back to the New Testament, I wanted to take a look through Luke. Reading Luke 1:1-26 we find the beginning of the Christmas story. Zacharias has an encounter with an angel who shares extraordinary information with him. When he asks the angel to “prove it” this is what the angel says: The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. Luke 1:19 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.1.19.NASB What is Gabriel’s proof? He stands in the presence of God. Gabriel needs no other…
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Christian Devotional – November 28, 2017
Why do we open our mouths? What are we expecting to come out of our mouths? She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:26 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/pro.31.26.NASB The final verses of Proverbs tell a description of a Godly woman. There are so many examples here to describe how we are to spend our time and focus our work, as well as what our attitude should be. In this specific verse we see that we are to open our mouths in wisdom and to not only be speaking kindness, but be teaching it as well. This does not describe me as often as…
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Christian Devotional – November 27, 2017
When we open our mouth, what kinds of stuff comes out? Open your mouth, judge righteously, And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy. Proverbs 31:9 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/pro.31.9.NASB In Proverbs 31:1-9 we see some pieces of advice from a mother to her son. The verse listed here is the conclusion of those and reminds us that we should judge others rightly and defend those who can’t defend themselves. When we open our mouths to speak, why? Are we focused on defending ourselves or defending others? Do we seek to see others as God sees them and judge them accordingly? We should take care to open our mouths only in…
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Christian Devotional – November 26, 2017
Actions have consequences. Everything that we do leads to a result. What results are we creating? For the churning of milk produces butter, And pressing the nose brings forth blood; So the churning of anger produces strife. Proverbs 30:33 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/pro.30.33.NASB If we harbor anger and feed it and nurse it, it will produce strife and discontent in our life. We are to place our trust in God for He is the one who is able to deal with all the issues and concerns that we face. He can sooth the anger that threatens us at times. Will we focus our energies and efforts on things that will bring Him…
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Christian Devotional – November 25, 2017
Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Proverbs 30:5 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/pro.30.5.NASB We can trust God. We may not feel like we can trust other people, but we can trust that what God says, He will do. As the Bible mentions here in Proverbs chapter 30, we see that God’s Word withstands testing and it is strong enough to be a shield to protect those who place their trust in Him. Do we trust in what God says? Do we hold fast to Him and take refuge in Him? Let Him be our shield today!
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Christian Devotional – November 23, 2017
For those of you in the United States, Happy Thanksgiving! Today is the day that we celebrate our gratitude for all the blessings we have received. God’s Word speak frequently about gratitude, which goes hand in hand with humility. Without humility, you will never be truly grateful. As we continue reading in Proverbs 29, see what it says: A man’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor. Proverbs 29:23 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/pro.29.23.NASB This idea hoes contrary to everything we think we know. Humility leads to honor, not pride. Humility knows that we can’t do everything and that we don’t deserve everything. Humility is truly thankful for…