Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Alan Jackson singing the old hymn … Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus … Poignantly singing of what all believers must do when life seems overwhelming.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 33:17 [NLT] … 17 Your eyes will see the King in all His splendor, and you will see a land that stretches into the distance.
… God promise of where King Jesus, as the Messiah, will lead God’s people.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 33:17-22 [NLT] …USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Isaiah, prophesies of a time when God’s people will see their Messiah and they will live in His promised land where the King has led them.
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Reference Passage : … Isaiah 26:3 [NLT] … 3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
… The secret to dealing with challenging circumstances is to keep our focus on Jesus.
Reference Passage : … Jeremiah 3:16-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s people, having dishonored the Messiah, will one day return to Him and He will reign over them in peace.
Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … 23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. … “
… And this remains our command of discipleship from our Savior.
Reference Passage : … Hebrews 12:1-2 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
…We run the race set before us as Christians, focusing on the One Who leads us to glory, … King Jesus.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David C McCasland, used a true story of a 20th century missionary to illustrate how we must keep our spiritual “eyes” focused on Jesus when things seem tough in our lives. … The ODB author wrote: Amy Carmichael (1867–1951) is known for her work of rescuing orphaned girls in India and giving them a new life. In the midst of this exhausting work there were times she called “moments of vision.” In her book Gold by Moonlight, she wrote, “In the midst of a crowded day we are given almost a glimpse of ‘the land of far distances,’ and we stand still, arrested on the road.” …
Amy Carmichael spent more than fifty years in India helping young women in great need. How did she do it? Each day she fixed her eyes on Jesus and placed her life in His care. And so can we.
We’ve all experienced times where things seem overwhelming, like the missionary in today’s ODB story (above), … times where the world seems to be out of control and Satan seems to be winning. Today, … these are times like that, aren’t they?
Well, ... it was no different in the times of Isiah, 700+ years before Christ; and with Jeremiah, 500-600+ years BC. But God prophesied to His people thru these Prophets to keep their eyes on the coming Messiah, Who would one day deliver them to His promised land. And then came King Jesus, … Who has delivered His people (that’s us, folks!) from the bondage of our sin; and He is taking us to glory to be with Him as our promised Messiah.
So, if we feel overwhelmed, we need to do what is sung in today’s song … just turn our eyes upon Jesus, … look full in His wonderful face, … and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for leading us to Glory.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … When the world seems overwhelming, i turn my eyes on You, Lord. … 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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