April 19, 2013 … Choosing to Believe!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 109

Passage of the Day: Genesis 15: 14 [In context with verses 13-14] [NLT] …  
13 Then the LORD told Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, and they will be oppressed as slaves for four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Genesis, Chapter 15 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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 Reference Passage #2: John 16: 33 : [The promise of being obedient in the face of trials.] …[NLT] …  
31 Jesus asked [His inner disciples], “Do you finally believe? 32 But the time is coming—in fact, it is already here—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving Me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with Me. 33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” 

Reference Passage #2: Revelation 3: 20 : [Jesus, on the promise of His providence from our relationship with Him. ] …[NKJV] …  
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.

My Journal for Today: God told Abram about a time when the nation God had promised would come from him would go through 400 years of slavery; but The LORD also promised that after those times of troubles would come a glorious time of providence [see the highlight passage above from Genesis 15 above].

When Jesus was about to go to the cross, He told His troubled disciples not to fear because He, Jesus, the Messiah, had overcome the world (see the reference passage above from John 16: 33) and He, their Lord, would send them His Spirit to give them all they would need to deal with the world.

Going through some tough times now? Well, if not now, maybe you remember a really tough stretch of time in your past when things really went bad and still you were able to remain obedient in faith. Yes, … for a die-hard believer, God’s promise, in the face of tough times, is that obedience and perseverance in faith will ultimately result in God promise of providence. And we Christians ALWAYS need to remember, as is taught in Psalm 23, that going through the valley of the shadow of death, with faith in our God, will lead us through that valley into a place of God’s promised providence.

Don’t you just love the promise of Jesus to His church (that’s you and me, fellow Christian!) that He’s always there – no matter how bad things are – ready to open the door of His relationship with us, IF (and yes, it’s a big “IF”) we hear Him knocking at the door of our hearts, ALWAYS ready to come in with us and to provide us with what we need. And we’ll always have what we need to deal with life if we believe in His promises and we’re obedient to His provision of truth (see 2nd Peter 1: 3-4 at this link ).

But these promises from God and His provisions come with a catch. Yes, it’s a provisional covenant of promise. God will give us all we need – and MORE – if (big “IF”) we’re obedient to His word and seek faithfully after His will. So, if we’re going through tough times, as God said to Abram and Jesus always says to us, His promise of great providence is ALWAYS there for us if and when we’re willing to go through the tough times faithfully and obediently following Him.

So, my fellow followers of Christ, … let’s keep on keeping on during these tough times, knowing His promises and believing that He has overcome the world. … Because HE HAS!!!

And this morning, I go to a song by Phillips, Craig, and Dean which helps me to choose to believe in the midst of the trials of my life … go to this link to hear them sing I Choose To Believe.

My Prayer for Today … Lord, in these darkened times, You provide the light for me to follow You. … Amen