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Christian Devotional – June 20, 2023
Through Suffering, Day 5 Grow up! Read 1 Peter 2:1-3. As Peter explains here, when we ask Christ into our hearts, we are newborn babies. Our responsibility is to grow up in our faith. We must learn and study and understand more and more of who God is. Are we taking our responsibility to learn about Christ seriously? What are we doing each day to help ourselves grow in Him?
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Christian Devotional – June 19, 2023
Through Suffering, Day 4 What do we put our faith and hope in. Read 1 Peter 1:17-25. As we continue to see God working and moving through all that Peter is writing, we understand that the relationship we have with Jesus Christ is what defines all that we do. Here, Christ is what we put our faith and our hope in. Because of all that Christ has done, we can have faith and hope in him. Because of Christ’s relationship with God (he is God), we can be made right with God. God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and glorified him. When we are putting our faith in trust…
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Christian Devotional – June 18, 2023
Through Suffering, Day 3 Be holy. Read 1 Peter 3:13-16. It sounds so simple. Yet, Peter’s statement that we are to be holy as Christ is holy is so challenging to all of us. Jesus Christ is holy. God himself is holy. Our actions and all that we do are to align with God. Because of our relationship with Jesus Christ, he is to be holy through us each and every day.
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Christian Devotional – June 17, 2023
Through Suffering, Day 2 Shielded through faith. Read 1 Peter 1:3-12. The people that Peter was writing to were going through tremendous suffering and persecution. So, Peter doesn’t waste any time jumping right to the heart of the message. Suffering is only for a time, and God indicates that he will shield us through faith until the final salvation. We are going to go through suffering in this life. Sometimes, its a lot. Sometimes we don’t have a lot of choice and that is just our circumstances. God knows. God sees. Our situation is never unknown to God. Peter is reminding us that God shields us through faith so as…
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Christian Devotional – June 16, 2023
Through Suffering, Day 1 Offering of grace. Read 1 Peter 1:1-2. The Books of Peter was written by the apostle to the churches that are suffering and experiencing persecution. These churches are looking for hope in the midst of their difficult experiences. They’re going through suffering and need to know how to respond. Peter writes these books to them. We’re going to take some time to go through these books in detail, starting with the first two verses here. Peter spends the introduction reminding them that they have been chosen and that God is giving them everything they need to be able to make it through their situation. Grace and…
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Christian Devotional – June 15, 2023
The Journey of Ruth, Day 6 The legacy. Read Ruth 4:18-22. As we come to the end of the book of Ruth, we see the legacy. Ruth’s decisions and her obedience in all the choices she made that led up to that point, we see the culmination here in how God used her to build a legacy that led to a king that was a man after God’s own heart. When we think about the choices that we make, do we recognize that each and every choice leads us down a path that will ultimately result in the legacy that we leave to those behind us. God desires our obedience,…
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Christian Devotional – June 14, 2023
The Journey of Ruth, Day 5 God hasn’t abandoned us. Read Ruth 4:13-17. God continues his miraculous working in the life of Ruth and Naomi. Not only did he provide a kinsman redeemer who was willing to accept Ruth but he also allowed Ruth to have a son. Such a sign of blessing in the life of Ruth and Naomi after all they have been through! We are never abandoned by God. We may go through seasons of our life when we struggle to see his purpose and plan, or where we don’t feel his presence, but that does not change the truth of who God is and what God…
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Christian Devotional – June 13, 2023
The Journey of Ruth, Day 4 It’s all about me. Read Ruth 4:1-11. There is so much in this book of Ruth, but especially in this last chapter. We’ll start through the first 11 verses today. Here, we see Boaz negotiating who was going to redeem Naomi’s husband’s property. Originally, the first man was interested in it, until he found out that it included a wife. At that point, he was not as interested in the property anymore because he was concerned with how the wife might impact his personal property. When we are evaluating what God’s will is for our life, are we looking at it only in terms…
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Christian Devotional – June 12, 2023
The Journey of Ruth, Day 3 Please save me. Read Ruth chapter 3. The time has come for Ruth to ask Boaz for help. Naomi orchestrates the entire event, knowing what needs to happen and how she believes Boaz will respond. She gives Ruth specific direction, and Ruth follows it exactly. And then the moment comes. Boaz asks who are you, with the implied question of what are you doing here? Ruth answers. She tells him who she is and asks him for the help that she needs. Oftentimes, we do not like to admit our need for help. Especially in the American culture, independence is a valued and prized.…
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Christian Devotional – June 11, 2023
Journey of Ruth, Day 2 Boaz meets Ruth. Read Ruth chapter 2. Ruth had made a conscious decision in the chapter before to not be swayed, but to be obedient to the calling that God had for her life. She went forward with that calling and came back with Naomi. Now, she has been introduced to Boaz, the owner of the field. Boaz recognizes in her the obedience and he gives her a blessing based upon her obedience. When we are seeking to be obedient, it’s often not easy. We often struggle with understanding that obedience and knowing what we couldn’t or could do. Or, like we mentioned last time,…