December 19, 2023 … God’s Healing Grace …

December 19, 2023 … God’s Healing Grace  …    

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in this song with lyrics from a worship group singing  … Healing Grace …  Poignantly singing a prayer for God’s healing grace. 

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Highlight Passage: … Genesis 32:31  [ESV] … 

31 The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip. 

… Jacob is left with a permanent limp from hip pain in wrestling with God but also with a new name and a new character.   

Highlight Passage (in context)  … Genesis 32:22-32  … USE THIS LINK …  

… Jacob wrestles with God; and leaves with a damaged hip but with God’’s blessing and a new character with a new name, “Israel.”                              

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Reference Passage: … Romans 5:3-5 (NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul teaches fellow Christians (and us) that the pains we receive from the trial of life help us to develop Christlike character.and endurance.   

Reference Passage: … 2Corinthians 12:9-10 (NLT] …  

9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.   10  That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

… Paul learned from Jesus that God’s grace would be enough to allow him to endure the pains of life, like Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.”     

Reference Passage: … Philippians 4:13 (NLT] …  

13 For I can do everything through Christ, Who gives me strength. 

… Paul testifies that the strength he gets thru his relationship with Christ is enough to endure any of the pains of life.      

Reference Passage: … James 1:2-4 (NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …  

…James exhorts fellow Christians to allow the trials/pains of life to help them (us) grow in the endurance of faith.                  

Reference Passage: … 1Peter 4:12-13 (NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …

… Peter encourages oppressed Christians to actually be glad when experiencing suffering for Christ for it is the mark of serving the Lord and for His glory.         

My Devotional Journal: Today’s Our Daily Bread Author , Mike Wittmer -  AT THIS LINK -   Tells of a young woman, Faye, who touched the scars on her abdomen which had come from surgery to remove cancer in her abdomen, saying to her husband,  “Scars represent either the pain of cancer or the start of healing. I choose my scars to be symbols of healing.” 

To all who might be reading with me here today, I think we all have our scars from past encounters in life; and if y’all have taken in the linked song and the Scriptures above, I’m praying that we all can realize that those scars, from our past suffering, may have produced pain, maybe even lasting or lifelong pain; but as with Jacob, who wrestled with God (see highlight passage), we now need to recognize that the scars are marks of God’s healing grace which have helped to remake us into a new, more Christlike, person to serve our Lord.  So, join me in a thankful ”HALLELUJAH” !!     

   

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for Your healing grace, Lord.   

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray. again today, that all reading here will join me, … with grateful thanks, Lord, for applying Your healing grace to the scars of our lives.   … Amen  

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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.

December 18, 2023 … His Nearness Lifts Me …

December 18, 2023 … His Nearness Lifts Me  …    

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in this song with lyrics from Shane and Shane singing  … Your Nearness …  Poignantly singing of how God’s nearness is our good.  

God is ALWAYS near ... 

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Highlight Passage: … Philippians 4:5-6  [ESV] … 

4-5 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. …  The Lord is at hand; 

… The Apostle Paul exhorts fellow Christians to rejoice in the nearness of Christ’s return. 

Highlight Passage (in context) … Philippians 4:4-7  … USE THIS LINK … 

… The Apostle Paul assuring fellow Christians that we can have God’s peace, know that God is near and to have joy in knowing that Christ will come again.                            

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Reference Passage: … Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Solomon teaches that when we trust and follow The Lord, He will lead us as we follow His will. 

Reference Passage: … Isaiah 41:10 (NLT] …  

10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. 

… God, thru Isaiah, promises believers His strength to lift them (us) up.     

Reference Passage: … Matthew 28:20b (NLT] …  

 20b … And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

… Promises all who trust and follow The Lord … to be with them (us) ALWAYS.  

Reference Passage: … 2Corinthians 12:9 (NLT] …  

<i>  9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.   </i>

… Paul assures fellow Christians, remembering and declaring Christ’s promise to provide His empowering grace and power when we are feeling weak.                 

Reference Passage: … 1Peter 5:7 (NLT] …  

7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.  

… God’s promise, thru Peter to oppressed Christians, that we can ALWAYS take our worries to God, because God ALWAYS cares for them (us).        

My Devotional Journal: Today’s Our Daily Bread Author , Karen Huang -  AT THIS LINK -   Tells of Lourdes, a voice teacher in Manilla, who had taught her students face-to-face for over thirty years; … but, likely for health reasons, … was forced to go to online teaching with conferencing platforms, about which Lourdes was not confident.   But later, often praying the words of Philippians 4:4-7 (see above), Lourdes was quoted as saying, “How I clung to those words.” … and … “God led me to websites about fixing computer glitches; …  and He also gave me patient students who understood my technological limitations.”

We all, at times, have to deal with circumstances in life where we might be fearful and feeling weak and unable to cope with life’s demands.  But, … if we truly hold on to the truths from God’s word, shared above, we can, as the Apostle Paul did in the Highlight passage above, actually REJOICE, … knowing that God is with us now, and will be forever, giving us His strength to cover our weaknesses and to lift us up with His caring and victorious right hand.      

   

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for ALWAYS being with me.  

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray. again today, that all reading here will join me, … knowing that You’re always there to lift us and guide us, Lord.   … Amen  

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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.

December 17, 2023 … A Christmas Conundrum …

December 17, 2023 … A Christmas Conundrum  …    

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in this song with lyrics from Kristyn Getty singing  … Perfect Wisdom of Our God …  Poignantly singing of how we find our direction in life by seeking and finding God’s wisdom.  

A Christmas Conundrum Solved ... 

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Highlight Passage: … Proverbs 3:13-14  [NLT] … 

13 Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding.  14 For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better then gold. 

… Solomon teaches his son (and us) that seeking Godly wisdom is more profitable than seeking silver or gold

Highlight Passage (in context): … Proverbs 3  … USE THIS LINK …  

… Again … Solomon teaches his son (and all believers) to seek God’s wisdom to lead him (and us) in life.                           

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Reference Passage: … Proverbs 1:7 (NLT] …  

7 Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge but fools despise wisdom and discipline.  

… Solomon teaches that seeking God’s wisdom is the beginning of all knowledge and understanding.     

Reference Passage: … 1Corinthians 1:30 (NLT] …  

30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.  

… the Apostle Paul teaches fellow Christians that God imparts His wisdom those who have surrendered to have faith in Jesus as The Christ.     

Reference Passage: … Ephesians 1:16-17 (NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul’s prayer for fellow Christians that God gives all born again Christians His wisdom to lead them (and us) in life. 

Reference Passage: …Colossians 3:16a (NLT] …  

16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. …   

… Paul exhorts fellow Christians to receive God’s wisdom imparted by God’s Spirit.               

Reference Passage: …James 1:5 (NLT] …  

5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.  

… James assures fellow Christians that if they (we) seek God’s wisdom, that the Lord will provide it to them (us) generously.          

My Devotional Journal: Today’s Our Daily Bread Author , Sheridan Voyysey -  AT THIS LINK -  Tells of David and Angie and their family. being called into a fruitful ministry overseas; but then being faced with the dilemma of leaving David’s elderly parents alone for Christmas.  But they arranged to have all the fixings of their traditional Christmas meal arranged for David’s parents and with computers at the table where they could at least be together online for Christmas (See photo),  and creating a new Christmas tradition.     

It’s difficult sometimes when our circumstances create conundrums in our lives.  But we need to realize that our God, thru Christ, has given us His word and sent us His Spirit to provide us with the very mind of God to lead us thru those dilemmas of this life.  So, I’m praying that we all seek God’s perfect wisdom, as sung in the linked song; and we follow the truths of God’s word, shared above, as we encounter and deal with the conundrums of life.  For it’s God’s promise that His wisdom will be ours just as it was for David and Angie solving their Christmas conundrum.      

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for being my light of wisdom as I walk thru the challenges of my life.              

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray. again today, that all reading here will join me, …to seek and use Your wisdom, Lord, as we encounter the conundrums of life.   … Amen  

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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.

December 16, 2023… Genuine Fellowship …

December 16, 2023… Genuine Fellowship  …    

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in this song with lyrics from Christen Ball and Galen Crew singing  … Fellowship Uninterrupted …  Poignantly singing of how we Christians should desire to live in uninterrupted fellowship.  

Genuine fellowship in Christ's love ... 

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Highlight Passage: … Acts 2:42 [NLT] … 

42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper[, and to prayer. 

… Luke documents the coming together of new believers in fellowship  to form the early Church.

Highlight Passage (in context)  … Acts 2:38-47  … USE THIS LINK …  

… The new believers, at Pentecost and onward, came together in community to meet each other’s needs and to fellowship in Christ’s name and for His glory.                       

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Reference Passage: …Psalms 133:1 (NLT] …  

1 How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! 

… King David sings of how wonderful it is for God to see His faithful believers coming together into harmonious fellowship.   

Reference Passage: …Romans 12:10 (NLT] …  

10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.  

… Paul exhorts fellow Christians show Christlike love and affection for one another.              

Reference Passage: … 1Corinthians 12:12 (NLT] …  

12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ..  

… Paul teaches fellow Christians that God’s church is like the parts of a body, working together in the unity of Christ’s Church.        

Reference Passage: …Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …

… God’s call, thru the Author of Hebrews, for God’s faithful remnant to come TOGETHER to encourage and edify one another in Christ’s Church.   

Reference Passage: …1John 1:7 (NLT] …  

7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.  

… God, thru John, teaches His faithful followers to live TOGETHER in HIs light and in His fellowship, which cleanses Christians from all of our sins.        

My Devotional Journal: Today’s Our Daily Bread Author , Anne Cetas -  AT THIS LINK -   Shows how all the Christians on Ragged Island, in the Bahamas, representing three separate Christian denominations, come TOGETHER to worship God and fellowship as ONE the body of Christ, which my readers can read about AT THIS LINK  .  

I pray we ALL, no matter how separate and unique we are, can come TOGETHER in the unity of our belief and faith in Christ’s cleansing love, … as do the believers on Ragged Island.  In the Scriptures above, we read of God’s call to His church to come TOGETHER, in the unity and fellowship of Christ’s cleansing blood, to worship our Lord with true Christians fellowship.   Can we?  …  Will we?    

   

My THANKFULNESS:.. Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for calling me into Your fellowship of believers.              

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray. again today, that all reading here will join me, …to seek Your fellowship, Lord, and come TOGETHER, as one CHURCH, to worship you with our lives.    … Amen  

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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.