Grace Has Appeared
on December 11th, 2024
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  (Titus 2:11)  I am a sportsman. Since my early years, I have always enjoyed the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing. It might be a surprise to many, but the anticipation of seeing an animal move through the woods or waiting for a fish to take a lure, is exhilarating to many of us. Even though you were expecting and waitin...  Read More
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Who Do You Follow? 
on December 10th, 2024
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”  (Matthew 16:24)    Who do you follow in your life? I am not talking about who you follow on Instagram or who you keep up with on Facebook. I’m asking, who do you follow, who do you serve, and who do you model yourself after?     To determine the answer to these important quest...  Read More
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Faith Isn’t Easy
on December 9th, 2024
Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. – Genesis 15:6Yesterday, we discussed the first three risks that are involved in living a life of faith. If you missed yesterday’s devotion, I strongly urge you to go back and read it. But for now, we’re going to talk about three additional risks. Let’s dive in.The fourth risk of faith involves giving what God says to give. We of...  Read More
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Faith Involves Risk
on December 8th, 2024
Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. – Genesis 15:6Abraham's story is one that says there is hope for all of us. We can be men and women of real faith if we can follow Abraham’s example.Faith involves risk. If there is no risk, there is no faith. Faith is not a feeling. Faith involves standing on the Word of God, and sometimes that involves taking risks. Abraham's l...  Read More
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It Is as You Will 
on December 7th, 2024
“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”  (Mark 8:35)    Years ago, a little boy had captured a small, helpless bird. He went to an old wise man in his village and he put the bird behind his back. He looked at the man and said, “Old man, tell me, Is the bird I hold in my hand, is it alive, or is it dead?”     The wise...  Read More
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Don’t Abuse Your Free Will 
on December 6th, 2024
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,”  (Matthew 24:12)    God has given human beings the gift of free will. Because He has granted you free will, God will never make you do something. He will not force you to do something, even if it is not what He desires. He will abide by your personal will.     However, God allows you to experience the fruit of your decisions...  Read More
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Say No to Temptation
on December 5th, 2024
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.  Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness...  Read More
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Don’t Follow the World
on December 4th, 2024
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will.  (Romans 12:1-2)  When I ...  Read More
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The Holy Spirit Helps
on December 3rd, 2024
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  (Romans 8:26)  If we want to be effective for the Kingdom of God, we need the help of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit power that raised Jesus from the dead is the very same power we have available to us as His followers. As we ...  Read More
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Learning To Resist
on December 2nd, 2024
Do not love the world or anything in the world. – 1 John 2:15I’ve been on many diets over the years. You don’t get a wonderful figure like mine without some effort. (Of course, that’s tongue in cheek.)I have done the Keto, the Mediterranean, the Scarsdale, and the Weight Watchers diets. You name it, and I’ve done it. I have tried all of those diets over the years to keep the fat off my innermost p...  Read More
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Be Willing To Say Yes
on December 1st, 2024
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. – Hebrews 11:7When I was in seminary, we had something called Missionary Preparation Week. At the end of the week, students were given an opportunity to surrender their lives to full-time missiona...  Read More
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Just Forgive
on November 30th, 2024
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”  Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”  (Matthew 18:21-22)  Let’s face it: Forgiveness is complicated! When Simon Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother or sister, he already had a number in mind. In fact, ...  Read More
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inspiration inspired inspires instance instant intended intensity intentional intentions interceding interesting interest interpretations intimately intimate intrude investment invitation invite itimacy jogging journey joyful joy justifying knowing knowledge known laborers labor leadership leaders leader leading lead leaning learning learn legacy lonely longing lordship loved loves love loving manipulate marriage married mature mediator meditate meditation membership members memeber memorable memory merciful mercy message mindful minds minister ministry miracles miracle miraculous missing mission moment motive moun notice nourished nourishment obedience obedient obey obligation observer observe offering operate opinions opportunities opportunity oppressed outcome overcome overcoming overpowered overpower overwhelmed overwhelming ownership painful parenting partnership passage passing passion pastors path patient peace peae perception perfectly perfect perform perishing perish persecuted perseverance personally personal perspective persuade plan pleasing political pondering positioned position possibility powerful power praised praises praiseworthy praise praising prayed prayerful prayers prayer praying pray preached preachers preacher preaching preach prepared prepare presence present preserves pressure prevent pride primary principle proactive probelm problem process proclaim produce productive promised promises promise promote prophicies prosperous prosper protecting protection protect proud proved prove provides provide providing provision purify purity purposes purpose pursuing raises raise realized realize realizing reassured rebelling rebellion receive recieved recover recuperation redeems redeem redemption redemptive referring reflection refuse reignite rejected relationships relationship religion religious remaining remedy remember remembrance reminds renewal renewing repeated repentance repent represent resisted resisting resist resolution respect responsibility rest resurrection retreat return revealing reveals righteous ritual royalty running sacrifice safest safe salvation satisfied satisfies satisfy saved save saving scriptual scripture secured security seeking seek selfish sensitive seperated seperate seperation sermon servants servant served server serve service serving shame shaping shared share sharing showed significance silence silent sinful sinless sinners sinner sin solve soul speaking speak spiraling spirirt spiritually spiritual spirit spread srve stability standards standing starting strengthen strength stressed stressful stress strong struggles struggle struggling submit substain successful success suffering supply supported supportive support surrendered surrender surrounding surround survived sustain talents teachable teachers teaches teachings teaching teach tears temptaions temptation tempted testify testimony thoughtful thoughts through thrown together tolerance tradition transformed translation treat trouble troubling true truly trusted trusting trustworthy trust truth trutyh unbelievers uncomfortable understanding understand unshamed utilize validation valuable values value verbally victory violated vulnerable waiting wants watchful willingly willing wisdom wise witnessed witness wonderful wondering wonder worried worrying worry worshipping worship worthy wrath