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Christian Devotional – January 30, 2013
VERSE: John 20:21–Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” TRUTH: Jesus came with a purpose. The Father sent Jesus to the world with a message of hope and peace, but also with the purpose of sacrifice. We also have the same purpose. We are to bring the message of hope and peace into the world. We will have to sacrifice in order to be able to do that. Are we willing to be sent in the world just as Christ was sent? RESPONSE: Father, Your message is one of hope and life. You sent Jesus to make that possible through…
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Christian Devotional – January 29, 2013
VERSE: John 19:38–Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. TRUTH: Joseph was a disciple in secret, but when Jesus was crucified, he stepped out of the shadows and conquered his fear. He took a stand and made his allegiance with Jesus very public by asking for Jesus’ body. Are we a disciple in secret and fear or are we a disciple of Jesus for all to see? RESPONSE: Father, I desire the boldness to follow You openly and wholeheartedly today. You are…
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Book Review – Oregon Weddings by Kathleen E. Kovach
As I mentioned last week, we’re looking at love stories as we lead up to Valentine’s Day. Another recent purchase I made was Oregon Weddings by Kathleen E. Kovach. These books are a series Romancing America where each book has three stories all set in a particular state. The Oregon Weddings books focus on the three stories of Skye Randall, Meranda Drake, and Glenys Bernard and the respective hurdles they face personally and in their relationships. Skye finds out the mother he never knew has left him an Alpaca ranch. Meranda is seeking vengeance for her father who died searching for an inheritance. Glenys is trying to overcome an old…
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Christian Devotional – January 28, 2013
VERSE: John 18:11–Jesus commanded Peter, “Put the sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” TRUTH: How many of us would have interpreted Peter’s actions as wrong if this situation? After all, Jesus had just prayed to God to find some way out of the path that was coming. It would have been easy for Jesus to see Peter’s actions and think, “Oh, they’re going to fight for me, that is how God is going to change the plan so I don’t have to go through suffering and death. Yea, Peter! Fight!” Instead, Jesus knew what God’s plan for Him was and he had prayed…
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Christian Devotional – January 27, 2013
VERSE: John 17:15–My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. TRUTH: There may be times when we have looked at our situation or circumstances and wished that we could just escape and go home to glory. Yet that is not what Jesus prayed for His disciples. He didn’t ask the Father to take them to heaven to escape the hardships and temptations of this world. Instead, He prayed that they would remain and be protected from evil. God has a plan and purpose for us and as long as He leaves us in the world we have…
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Christian Devotional – January 26, 2013
VERSE: John 16:33–I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. TRUTH: Following Jesus is no guarantee of a happy, worry-free life. In fact, Jesus promises us the opposite. In this world we will have trouble. In this world there will be problems and difficulties and things that cause us to lose heart. But Jesus tells us we are to take heart for two reasons. First, in Jesus we have peace. Second, Jesus has overcome the world. Even in the midst of troubles and problems we can have peace and…
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Wichita Kansas Christian Devotional Author And Speaker Kristi Burchfiel Chosen As One Of ’50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading’
Kristi Burchfiel is a Christian devotional author and speaker who believes in ‘living in the world while living out the word’. Burchfiel was chosen from a field of hundreds of authors who appeared on The Authors Show Radio in 2012 [January 15, 2013, Wichita, KS] Christian devotional author and speaker Kristi Burchfiel has been chosen as one of ’50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading’. Her honors came as the result of an appearance on The Authors Show in which she discussed her Christian devotional series of books. “Being chosen as one of the 50 Greater Writers You Should Be Reading for 2012,” Burchfiel stated, “is such an honor for…
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Christian Devotional – January 25, 2013
VERSE: John 15:1–I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine gardener. TRUTH: If Jesus is the true vine then there are false vines out there we must be on guard against. We must only choose to attach ourselves to the true vine and be nourished only by the true vine, Jesus Christ. He is the one who supplies our needs and keeps us going. Are we a part of the true vine? RESPONSE: Father, I pray that You will show Yourself to me today. I don’t want to rely on anything but You. Help me see the false vines in my life so that I can steer…
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Christian Devotional – January 24, 2013
VERSE: John 14:15–If you love me, keep my commands. TRUTH: We obey God because we love Him. When we are doing something for someone we love, it’s not about duty, compulsion, or obligation. We aren’t worried about being paid back or anything like that. We do things for them simply because we love them and want to show that to them. Our relationship with God is to be that way. Do we obey simply because we love? RESPONSE: Father, I love You. I obey You and do the things You as simply because I want to show You I love You. You are my everything and I am pleased to do…
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Christian Devotional – January 23, 2013
VERSE: John 13:37–Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” TRUTH:We sometimes make boastful claims to the Lord about what we will do for Him or what we want to do for Him in the future. Instead, we should focus on what we are currently doing for Him. Our obedience is not something we should discuss from a “future” perspective but from a “present” one. What are we doing right now to be obedient to God and to praise Him? If we don’t focus on the present obedience, then the future obedience won’t happen. RESPONSE: Father, today I will focus on…