Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with images from Clay Crosse, Bebe Winans, and Bob Carlisle singing … I Will Follow Christ … poignantly singing of the desire all Christians should have … to follow our Lord no matter the circumstances or trial or persecution.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Malachi 3:16a [NLT] … 16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. …
… For the remnant of believers, God promises to hear their (our) prayers and lead us to His glory.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Malachi 3:13-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Prophet declares the faithfulness of God to His covenant promises, especially to those who obediently follow Him.
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Reference Passage : … Psalms 32:8, 50:15, 116:1-2 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Psalmists sing of God’s willingness and faithfulness to hear the prayers of the obedient and to lead them to His glory.
Reference Passage : … Isaiah 41:10, 43:1 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… As God's obedient children, we never have to fear that our God will not be there for us - no matter what the circumstances.
Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5b [NLT] … 5 … For God has said, … “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” [quotes Deut. 31:6, 8]
… In the NT, the Author of Hebrews restates God’s promise from the OT to never abandon His obedient followers.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Poh Fang Chia, related a personal story to illustrate how our God is always faithful to hear the prayers of His obedient followers and to lead them to glory - no matter how tough it might be along the way. The ODB author wrote: Lee is a diligent and reliable bank employee. Yet he often finds himself sticking out like a sore thumb for living out his faith. This reveals itself in practical ways, such as when he leaves the break room during an inappropriate conversation. At a Bible study, he shared with his friends, “I fear that I’m losing promotion opportunities for not fitting in.”
Sometimes we Christians do stand apart from the world, don’t we? Sort of like the photo, … we stand out like a proverbial “sore thumb” (see photo), … especially when we follow Christ and the rest of the world is following their own standards. And as the young man in the ODB story, it can be tough to follow Christ as Clay Crosse and his friends sing in the linked song.
But if we truly believe what the Prophets Isaiah and Malachi prophesied about our Lord, the Messiah (see reference Scriptures), then we know that our God is faithful; and no matter how much we stand out and must diverge from the culture in following our Lord, … He is with us and will never forsake us (see also Heb. 13:5b). And by following our Lord faithfully, He will ultimately lead us to His glory.
That’s why I’m here today, … getting encouragement and confirmation from His word so that I can stand up for Him … even when - and especially if - I stand out like a sore thumb in this world. … How about you?
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for always being there to hear my prayers and lifting me up when I need You.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Give me Your empowering grace to stand up for You even when I stand out from the crowd. … 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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