Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in YouTube images and lyrics from the group Casting Crowns singing … If We Are the Body … poignantly singing of how we, as the body of Christ, need to be doing more to reach out and be His witnesses of love and grace in this world.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 58:6 [NLT] … 6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.
… God, expresses clearly that He desires that His people do all they (we) can to help others.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 58:6-9 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Isaiah, tells His people what kind of sacrifice of the heart He desires to represent His loving heart.
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Reference Passage : …Acts 1:8 [NLT] … 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
… Jesus commanded all His disciples to be His witnesses of love/grace to the world.
Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 12:25-27 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Being the “Body of Christ,” we’re charged to help others in the body who need our help.
Reference Passage : … Galatians 6:1-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… We’re charged by God to do all we can give of ourselves to help others.
Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:15-16 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, in the NT, expresses HIs desire that we share His providence with others.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Patricia Raybon, uses a personal story to illustrate how God desires His own to help others. The ODB author writes … A family member needed help with his December rent. To his family, the request felt like a burden—especially with their own unexpected expenses at year’s end. But they dug into their savings, grateful for God’s provision—and blessed by their relative’s gratitude.
He handed them a thank-you card filled with grateful words. “There you go again . . . doing nice things, probably passing it off as no big deal.”
Helping others is a big deal, however, to God. [see photo]
OK, … I’m assuming that all my fellow readers have taken in the photo, heard the linked song, and taken the time to meditate on the Scriptures above. And perhaps, … like yours truly, … you’re asking yourself, … “could I do more” … to reach out with what I have (i.e., my providence) to help others, … especially those in the body of Christ who need assistance.
And if that’s our conviction, don’t you think that might be - or IS - the Holy Spirit calling us to be stronger witnesses of God’s love/grace … just as Jesus called us to be as His disciples (see Acts 1:8)? … Well, that’s my impression from this morning wrestling match with my Lord in my quiet time. I’ll have to leave your impressions to you and God.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for Your charge to do what I can to help others … tho the pain of conviction is a bit intense right now.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me today to find ways to lift others up as in the photo. … 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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