Devotional Song: Go to this link … Please take the time to see/hear a video of Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing All Is Well, declaring the truth that Christ has made all things well, … not matter what we face in this life … “Death has died and all is well!!!” … HALLELUJAH and PTL!!!
Highlight Passage: John 16: 33 [NKJV} …
33 “… In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
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Highlight Context - NKJV: John 16: 25-33 [NKJV] … GO TO THIS LINK … Jesus trying to calm His disciples in their fearful moments
Reference Passage #1: Proverbs 23: 7 [NKJV} …
7 As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.
Reference Passage #2 - NKJV: Isaiah 26: 1-4 [NKJV] … GO TO THIS LINK … God, thru Isaiah prophesies of the ultimate peace - especially in verse 3 …
Reference Passage #3 - NKJV: Matthew 11: 28-30 [NKJV] … GO TO THIS LINK … Jesus - On where to go for peace in our lives
Reference Passage #4 - NKJV: Philippians 4: 11-13 [NKJV] … GO TO THIS LINK … Paul - On where to find contentment and strength in our weakness
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread devotional entry, authored by Dennis Fisher, tells his readers (and that’s me) about an attitude which can help all Christians to deal with the challenges of life. And Fisher refers to an illustration used by C.S. Lewis in his book, God In The Dock. Fisher writes, quoting Lewis …
“Imagine a set of people all living in the same building. Half of them think it is a hotel, the other half think it is a prison. Those who think it a hotel might regard it as quite intolerable, and those who thought it was a prison might decide that it was really surprisingly comfortable.” Lewis cleverly used this contrast between a hotel and a prison to illustrate how we view life based on our expectations. He says, “If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable; think of it as a place of training and correction and it’s not so bad.”
In other words, Fisher is contending that it’s how we choose to view life which will dictate how we live [see the Proverbs 23: 7 truth above]; and this teaching comes through in multiple passages, some of which I’ve copied or linked above. Jesus certainly taught this perspective in his Upper Room Discourse to a very fearful group of Disciples as their Lord was heading to the cross (see the John 16 highlight passage above). … God taught it through Isaiah in the Old Testament (see the Isaiah 26: 3 link above), teaching that it is the believer who focuses on their relationship with God who finds peace in life. … The Apostle Paul, in teaching on contentment in life, indicated that he had learned that in all the tough times, he could find strength in his relationship with Christ (see the Phil. 4: 10-13 link).
So, my question (yours as well) today is, “HOW DO WE SEE LIFE?” Do we see life, as C.S. Lewis writes, through eyes of selfishness and punishment; or do we see it as the place where we’re being prepared for greatness and glory by the challenges of life? Because how we see this life will have a lot to do with how we prepare for the next life.
My Prayer for Today … Lord, … Help me to see YOU in the midst of my trials; and allow me to be Your overcomer in this life. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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