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Christian Devotional – August 17, 2014
Read 3 John VERSE: 3 John 3–It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. TRUTH: What would another believer say about you if they were giving a report to this verse’s author, John? Would John be encouraged and joyful or disappointed and embarrassed? Others are always watching and the way we live our life is a testimony of what we believe. Do we daily walk in the path that would bring joy to another believer? Are we faithful to God’s truth each day through the seemingly mundane activities of life or are we…
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Christian Devotional – August 16, 2014
Read 3 John VERSE: 3 John 2 – Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. TRUTH: Our spiritual health and our physical health are both important and need to be addressed in our lives. Are we taking care of ourselves physically? What about spiritually? If we are neglecting our spiritual life, then we will not know or be ready for the plans that God has for us. If we are neglecting our physical health, then we may know God’s plans for us, but not be able to do everything that God…
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Christian Devotional – August 15, 2014
Read 3 John VERSE: 3 John 1 – The elder, to my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in truth. TRUTH: John, writing here, gives a great definition of friendship. Gaius was a dear friend that John loved in truth. Friendship should always be based on truth and not lies, however, even more special is when the friendship is based on “The Truth,” Jesus Christ. Do we define our relationship with others by our relationship with Christ? We should use that definition and allow our relationship with Jesus Christ to impact everyone else in our life. RESPONSE: Father, I love You and I love that You are truth. Please keep…
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Christian Devotional – August 14, 2014
Read Lamentations chapter 5 VERSE: Lamentations 5:15–Joy is gone from our hearts, our dancing has turned to mourning. TRUTH: When we have sinned and done wrong, there are consequences. we cannot have joy while we are in the midst of sin. The consequences of sin overwhelms us. We know that God is the One who gives joy, so if we aren’t experiencing joy, it is because we have sin in our heart and in our life. Have we come to Jesus and brought our repentance? Only He can restore our joy. RESPONSE: Father, I bring my whole life before You today. Restore my joy. Bring about Your dancing as I…
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Christian Devotional – August 13, 2014
Read Lamentations chapter 4 VERSE: Lamentations 4:12–The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any of the peoples of the world, that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem. TRUTH: The people and the leaders were arrogant and believed they were too good or too powerful to be overthrown. They thought they didn’t have to worry about anything like that. However, that’s usually when God allows something to happen. When we are trusting in ourselves and our own might, we are not trusting in God. Have we become arrogant, thinking we can do things on our own? The Lord will find ways to remind us that He…
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Christian Devotional – August 12, 2014
Read Lamentations chapter 3 VERSE: Lamentations 3:25–The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. TRUTH: Do we hope in the Lord? First, we must realize what it means to hope in the Lord. Often, we use the term “hope” like it is a wish or a dream; it’s become something that may or may not be grounded in reality. We say things like, “I hope I have lots of money someday,” and “I hope the people are nice to me.” However, hope in the Lord that God is talking about here is a confident assurance. No matter what the situation or…
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Christian Devotional – August 11, 2014
Read Lamentations chapter 2 VERSE: Lamentations 2:14–The visions of your peoples were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading. TRUTH: The people had suffered the consequences of their actions, yet they were surprised and confused. After all, they had prophets; why didn’t they know this was coming? Jeremiah, the writer, is telling the people that the prophets they had were just telling them what they wanted to hear. The people didn’t want to think they were living in sin and disobedience. They wanted to just do what they wanted, so they had “yes men”…
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Christian Devotional – August 10, 2014
Read Lamentations chapter 1 VERSE: Lamentations 1:14–My sins have been bound into a yoke; by his hands they were woven together. They have been hung on my neck, and the Lord has sapped my strength. He has given me into the hands of those I cannot withstand. TRUTH: When we choose to be unrepentant, our wrongs and sins end up binding us so that we are trapped by the consequences of what we have done. The Lord is true to get our attention so that we will look to Him and repent. We cannot withstand the weight of our sin; we weren’t meant to. The Lord is the only one…
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Christian Devotional – August 9, 2014
Read 1 John chapter 5 VERSE: 1 John 5:20-21–We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. TRUTH: God is the true God. Jesus Christ is the true redeemer. Anything else that we chase after is an idol. Do we keep ourselves from idols? Will we follow Him and trust Him to be who He says He is or not. Ultimately we are choosing Him or we…
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Christian Devotional – August 8, 2014
Read 1 John chapter 5 VERSE: 1 John 5:19–We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. TRUTH: We are children of God, yet we are living in the enemy’s camp. It can be very easy to get complacent and to let down our guard, but that is when we will be attacked. Our whole world is under Satan’s control and if we do not guard ourselves, we will find ourselves falling into the trap of relying on the world and not on God. We are children of God. We must stay focused on our Father and on…