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Christian Devotional – September 16, 2015
Read James chapter 1 VERSE: James 1:3–because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. TRUTH: So from yesterday, knowing that we should consider trials and testing as joyful occasions, the question become “why?” Well, according to this verse, testing produces perseverance. How do we stay consistent and focused living out the day by day Christian life? When we experience testing, then we see God’s faithfulness in all that we do and we realize that we can trust in Him to see us through, which in turn gives us greater confidence to place our faith in Him in the future. Our challenges remind us to turn to God…
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Christian Devotional – September 15, 2015
Read James chapter 1 VERSE: James 1:2–Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, TRUTH: I don’t know about you, but for me, it is difficult to put those two phrases together: pure joy and trials. The idea that I could look at the difficult and trying times of my life and be the most joyful that I can possibly think of, is a concept that is foreign to our way of thinking. Often we spend time having pity parties and woe-is-me thinking. We don’t look at trials as an opportunity for joy. However, God’s Word indicates that trials are a reason for…
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Christian Devotional – September 14, 2015
We’re going to take the next several months and go verse by verse through the book of James, instead of just taking one verse per chapter. There’s so much in this wonderful book and I want to spend some time focusing on it! I still encourage you to read the entire chapter to keep things in perspective. Read James chapter 1 VERSE: James 1:1–James, a servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. TRUTH: James opens up this book with a quick description of himself. He is a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we are…
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Christian Devotional – September 13, 2015
Read Zechariah chapter 14 VERSE: Zechariah 14:9–The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. TRUTH: God is the King over the whole earth and there is nothing that will change that. However, there will come a day when He will be visible the King over the whole earth so that none can deny His power and His authority. When that day comes, there will be no other who can possibly stand and claim any authority. There is only the Lord. As we go through today, are we living like God is already the king over…
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Christian Devotional – September 12, 2015
Read Zechariah chapter 13 VERSE: Zechariah 13:9–“This third I will put into the fire. I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.'” TRUTH: When people who belong to God, He doesn’t leave them the way they were. He takes them and refines them and puts them through the fire. It can be difficult and will be hard, but it always results in our becoming more like Christ. We will be able to say that the Lord is our God and…
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Christian Devotional – September 10, 2015
Read Zechariah chapter 11 VERSE: Zechariah 11:3–Listen to the wail of the shepherds; their rich pastures are destroyed! Listen to the roar of the lions; the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined! TRUTH: The place where the shepherds would lead their flocks is gone. They do not have the lush pasturelands to graze their flocks. Because of sin, the people, symbolized by the sheep, are no longer able to enjoy the lush protection of rich blessings. They must endure the consequences of their sin. When we reject God and disobey His plans for us, God removes His blessings from us and allows to experience a taste of the difficulties…
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Christian Devotional – September 9, 2015
Read Zechariah chapter 10 VERSE: Zechariah 10:8–I will signal for them and gather them in. Surely I will redeem them; they will be as numerous as before. TRUTH: God chose to save and redeem the people. Even though they had sinned and had rejected Him, He was patient and waited for them to return to Him and to repent. He was there waiting to redeem them and to pay the price for them so that they would belong to Him again. God still does this for us today. He is still waiting for us to come to Him and allow Him to redeem us so that He can restore us…
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Christian Devotional – September 8, 2015
Read Zechariah chapter 9 VERSE: Zechariah 9:12–Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have hope; this very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you. TRUTH: Hope is such a powerful word, especially for those who have been a prisoner. For these people, knowing that God was giving them hope and that they would be able to return to their place of strength was such a refreshing thought. No matter what sin has kept us imprisoned or what problem we have felt powerless to overcome. God gives us hope and he gives us restoration. He will keep His promise to us and will restore those of us…
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Christian Devotional – September 7, 2015
Read Zechariah chapter 8 VERSE: Zechariah 8:6–This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?” declares the Lord Almighty. TRUTH: What are we expecting the Lord to do? When we see the things that the Lord is capable of doing, we need to realize that He is capable of doing far more than we could ever imagine on our own. God is God and because of that, He is capable of doing absolutely anything. Are we open to whatever the movement of God would be for our life? God is doing marvelous…
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Christian Devotional – September 6, 2015
Read Zechariah chapter 7 VERSE: Zechariah 7:12–They made their hearts as hard as flint or would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry. TRUTH: Sometimes we get so focused on the fact that God is love, which He is, that we forget that God is also Holy and He hates sin. We people are disobedient and not following God’s Word, He does become angry. When we harden our hearts and refuse to follow His commands, God is angry. Yes, God loves us, but never forget that God is…