Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of Chris McClarney singing … Beauty for Ashes … poignantly singing of how all Christians can rely on our God of the second changes to be made new in Christ.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 16:18 [NLT] … 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
… Jesus prophesies that Peter will be a rock on which the Lord will build His church; and yet, moments later (see verses 21-28) Peter balks at Jesus’ prediction of His death.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 16:18, 21-28 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Peter shows his two-sided nature, … confidence in Jesus as Messiah and lack of willingness to see Jesus as Lord.
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Reference Passage : … John 21:15-19 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… … Even after Peter’s tragic thrice denial of Jesus, the Lord restores him to be a Shepherd-Leader of God’s church.
Reference Passage : … Romans 8:28 [NLT] … 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
… God, thru Paul, shows us that all things in our lives are for our good and part of God’s plan.
Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 5:17 [NLT] … 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
… Paul also shows us that all Christians are made new in Christ. Reference Passage : …
Philippians 1:6 [NLT] … 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
… God’s not done with any of His disciples who’re willing to surrender self to the Savior.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, shows her readers that all things in our lives are part of God’s plan to make us over in His image. … The ODB author wrote: A manager at a company in Brazil requested a written report from the custodians in her building. Each day she wanted to know who cleaned each room, which rooms were left untouched, and how much time employees spent in each room. The first “daily” report arrived a week later, partially completed.
When the manager looked into the matter, she discovered most of the cleaning employees couldn’t read. She could have fired them, but instead she arranged for them to have literacy lessons. Within five months, everyone was reading at a basic level and continued in their jobs.
As Christians, we don’t have to accept and give-in to our past failures or challenges, do we? I, for one, am a poster-boy for the truth of Paul’s declaration of restoration in Christ (see Rom. 8:28, 2Cor. 5:17, Phil. 1:6) because God took me from an atheist, habitual sinner, and redeemed me to become the leader of a ministry which helps men walk free from habitual sexual sin. [see www.battleplanministries.org ] … Go figure!!
And God really showed off His colors, for sure, … as our Redeemer took Peter, an impetuous two-faced liar and one who denied Christ thrice, and turned him into a leader-evangelist for Christ (see highlight passage and John 21). And God promises that He will reshape us into His image if we do all we can to follow Him.
That’s my plan, how about you?!!
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for being willing to give us another chance at being Your servant.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to follow our Lord no matter where He’s leading us. … 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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