3/14 Psalm 51:1-4
1 For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Nathan the prophet came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. 2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. 3 For I recognize my shameful deeds — they haunt me day and night. 4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.
SIN
Sin is devastating and vengeful. It seeks to devour everything in and around us. It is evil to the max and will do anything necessary to seduce us, distract us and destroy us. Seek forgiveness for your sin. Do it quickly. Ask the Lord to make you sensitive to your sin. If you can’t see it ask the Lord to reveal your sin to you. Recognizing our sin and turning away from it takes the power of God in Christ. There is no other way to deal with our sin.
Category - Devotionals
3/13 Genesis 2:18-25
18 And the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him.” 19 So the LORD God formed from the soil every kind of animal and bird. He brought them to Adam to see what he would call them, and Adam chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, birds, and wild animals. But still there was no companion suitable for him. 21 So the LORD God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. He took one of Adam’s ribs and closed up the place from which he had taken it. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib and brought her to Adam. 23 “At last!” Adam exclaimed. “She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of a man.” 24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. 25 Now, although Adam and his wife were both naked, neither of them felt any shame.
PURE
Adam and Eve began pure. It was there choice to change things. Christ makes us pure, He cleanses us from all sin and breaks the bondage of sin. When we come to Jesus we have an opportunity to change things.
3/12 Genesis 2:10-17
10 A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. 11 One of these branches is the Pishon, which flows around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. 12 The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. 13 The second branch is the Gihon, which flows around the entire land of Cush. 14 The third branch is the Tigris, which flows to the east of Asshur. The fourth branch is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and care for it. 16 But the LORD God gave him this warning: “You may freely eat any fruit in the garden 17 except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die.”
ONCE UPON A TIME
The Lord created man to spend time with Him and gave man directions on how he should live. It was a wonderful time. The Lord loves mankind, His creation. He shed His blood to provide a way for us to return to His family.
3/11 Genesis 2:1-9
1 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2 On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation. 4 This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. When the LORD God made the heavens and the earth, 5 there were no plants or grain growing on the earth, for the LORD God had not sent any rain. And no one was there to cultivate the soil. 6 But water came up out of the ground and watered all the land. 7 And the LORD God formed a man’s body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And the man became a living person. 8 Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had created. 9 And the LORD God planted all sorts of trees in the garden — beautiful trees that produced delicious fruit. At the center of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
REST
We are on a journey to be with the Lord face to face. He tells us rest is important. We all need to rest. Remember that is important for you to rest, every week, and every night. Take time to talk with the Lord about the things that trouble your rest. Then rest.
3/10 Acts 20:32-38
32 “And now I entrust you to God and the word of his grace — his message that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself. 33 “I have never coveted anyone’s money or fine clothing. 34 You know that these hands of mine have worked to pay my own way, and I have even supplied the needs of those who were with me. 35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help the poor by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” 36 When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them. 37 They wept aloud as they embraced him in farewell, 38 sad most of all because he had said that they would never see him again. Then they accompanied him down to the ship.
CONFIDENCE
We can have confidence that the Lord is with us. He will see us through the ups and downs of our life. He is a personal Lord who cares for everyone and yet knows us totally. The Lord Jesus is alive and He is alive in us. Rejoice because the Lord knows what you are facing and has a path of victory for your life.
3/9 Acts 20:28-31
28 “And now beware! Be sure that you feed and shepherd God’s flock — his church, purchased with his blood — over whom the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders. 29 I know full well that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. 30 Even some of you will distort the truth in order to draw a following. 31 Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you — my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.
FALSE
Be careful, there are wolves seeking to mislead the Lord’s children. Know the Lord so that those misrepresenting Jesus will not fool you. The Lord is worthy of our best and false teachers can fool you if you are not on the alert.
3/8 Acts 20:22-27
22 “And now I am going to Jerusalem, drawn there irresistibly by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what awaits me, 23 except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. 24 But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus — the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love. 25 “And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Let me say plainly that I have been faithful. No one’s damnation can be blamed on me, 27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants for you.
MISSION
We each have a mission for our life. The Lord is calling us to follow Him in service and to do be faithful in doing what He has called us to do-our mission. Listen to Jesus. Seek to grow in Christ and serve the Lord. By growing and serving you will fulfill the mission the Lord has called you to do.
3/7 Acts 20:11-21
11 Then they all went back upstairs and ate the Lord’s Supper together. And Paul continued talking to them until dawn; then he left. 12 Meanwhile, the young man was taken home unhurt, and everyone was greatly relieved. 13 Paul went by land to Assos, where he had arranged for us to join him, and we went on ahead by ship. 14 He joined us there and we sailed together to Mitylene. 15 The next day we passed the island of Kios. The following day, we crossed to the island of Samos. And a day later we arrived at Miletus. 16 Paul had decided against stopping at Ephesus this time because he didn’t want to spend further time in the province of Asia. He was hurrying to get to Jerusalem, if possible, for the Festival of Pentecost. 17 But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking them to come down to meet him. 18 When they arrived he declared, “You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now 19 I have done the Lord’s work humbly — yes, and with tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews. 20 Yet I never shrank from telling you the truth, either publicly or in your homes. 21 I have had one message for Jews and Gentiles alike — the necessity of turning from sin and turning to God, and of faith in our Lord Jesus.
MESSAGE
The message is always the same. Turn to Christ and turn away from sin. The Lord is able to save us and He will equip us to serve. Lay aside the sin that so easily entangles us and follow Jesus.
3/6 Acts 20:4-10
4 Several men were traveling with him. They were Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus; Aristarchus and Secundus, from Thessalonica; Gaius, from Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus, who were from the province of Asia. 5 They went ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 As soon as the Passover season ended, we boarded a ship at Philippi in Macedonia and five days later arrived in Troas, where we stayed a week. 7 On the first day of the week, we gathered to observe the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching; and since he was leaving the next day, he talked until midnight. 8 The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps. 9 As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he sank into a deep sleep and fell three stories to his death below. 10 Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!”
MIRACLE
What will it take for you to serve the Lord? Whatever miracle you need the Lord will do it. Follow Him, listen to Him and He will faithfully guide you day by day.
3/5 Acts 20:1-3
1 When it was all over, Paul sent for the believers and encouraged them. Then he said good-bye and left for Macedonia. 2 Along the way, he encouraged the believers in all the towns he passed through. Then he traveled down to Greece, 3 where he stayed for three months. He was preparing to sail back to Syria when he discovered a plot by some Jews against his life, so he decided to return through Macedonia.
ALERT
We are called to be as harmless as doves and wise as a serpent. Spend time with Jesus. He will guide your path. Christ will equip you to face life today.