Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the group Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing … He’ll Whatever It Takes … poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, can rely on our God’s Spirit to restore and renew us in our relationship with Christ.
2018 Carr Fire in California
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Highlight Verse[s]: 1John 3:19-20 [ESV] ... 19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before Him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything.
… God is ALWAYS bigger than what we hold in our hearts.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1 John 3:19-24 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God, thru John, shows us that whatever we’ve done in the past WILL BE restored by God’s love and His grace.
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Reference Passage : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Jeremiah, shows us that His mercies are new for us everyday.
Reference Passage : … Romans 7:18-20; 8: 1, 38-39 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… It’s fruitless and useless to hold onto self condemnation, as Paul did in Romans 7, because Christ’s finished work on the cross frees us from God’s condemnation, allowing us to realize, as in Romans 8, that NOTHING can separate us from His love/grace.
Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 5:17, 12:9-10 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, shows us that God’s grace is ALWAYS sufficient to forgive us and free us from any self condemnation, because, in Christ, we are being made new everyday.
Reference Passage : … 1John 1:9 [NLT] … 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
… If we truly believed this, why would we hold onto self condemnation?
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Winn Collier, uses a historical story of a wild fire in CA in 2018 to show the futility of self condemnation. … The ODB author wrote: As a couple drove their trailer through dry Northern California, they felt a tire blow and heard the scrape of metal against pavement. The sparks ignited the 2018 Carr Fire—a wildfire that burned nearly 230,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 homes, and resulted in the deaths of several people. [see photo]
When survivors heard how the couple were overcome with grief, they formed a Facebook page to show “grace and extend kindness . . . for the shame and despair” enveloping them. One woman wrote: “As someone that lost their home to this fire—I need you to know my family [doesn’t blame you], nor [do] any of the other families that lost homes. . . . Accidents happen. I really hope these kind messages ease your burden. We will all get through this together.”
It’s so easy for our human nature to bring us down when we’re feeling the guilt and self condemnation for something we know we’ve done wrong in the past. However, as God shows us, thru Paul in Romans 7 and 8, God gives us His mercy everyday (see also Lam. 3:22-23) and His grace (2Cor. 12:9) to free us from past sin and renew us in His love.
So, in taking the time to hear the linked song and by meditating on the scriptures above, I pray today that everyone reading here realizes that God never gives up on His children; and as our Abba Father, nothing can separate us from His love and grace (see Rom. 8:1 and 38-39) … NOTHING!!! … So, let’s believe the truth of 1John 1:9, and let’s just confess it - whatever it is - and be free from the weight of self condemnation.
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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for Your mercy and grace today to forgive me and set me free from my past.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to praise and thank God for doing all that He has done to free us from self condemnation and guilt. … 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.</ span>
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