Inwardly Compelled
It was love that motivated the Father to send His Son Jesus to redeem mankind. That same love has been poured out into the heart of every believer.
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:5).
God's love in us calls and compels us to do something about the plight of lost people. Even as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:14 , For the love of Christ compels us.
A few years ago, late at night I would hear what seemed to be a very faint chime or bell. Several times I got out of bed to try and find the source of the sound, but it always stopped before I could discover it.
Finally, one evening, I found out what it was. It was an old watch I had, tucked away in a drawer under some junk. Every evening, the alarm would go off at the same time.
The call of God's love in your heart can be like that. Sounding regularly but seldom heard. Buried under personal ambitions, cares and problems, daily routines and the general busyness of life. But it is unmistakably there!
The same love that moved Jesus to heal the sick and minister God's life to broken people is in you! Listen to it. Get in touch with it and express it to someone in need.
~Bayless Conley~
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I'm thankful for the realness of the Bible and that God wants us to see and learn from the examples and life situations, both good and bad, of those who lived before us. So while the entire account of David and Bathsheba is disheartening, there is good that comes from this story in that it shows us that no one is exempt from falling into sin of all kinds.
I always find this passage difficult to read because, honestly, it's a little scary to see David, the man after God's heart, giving in to his sinful desires and falling so hard so quickly. I can't read this story and not consider the fact that I'm no different than David--absolutely susceptible to, and capable of, great sin. "Thank you, God, for putting before us this hard but needed cautionary reminder."
The account of David and Bathsheba provides a number of lessons about sin. What did you see or learn about sin from this story?
~Tami~
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Saved, Sealed and Secure!
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” Ephesians 1:13
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What does it mean that you are sealed with the Holy Spirit?
First, it is a mark of authenticity. If the Holy Spirit is not in you, then you are a fake. First John 3:24 says, “And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us.”
Second, the seal is a mark of ownership, like the branding of a cow. You are His. Romans 8:9 says, “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.”
Third, the seal is a mark of security. Esther 8:8 tells about this type of seal, which “no man can reverse.”
ACTION POINT:
The way I am kept saved is because God sealed me. The way you are kept saved, is because God has sealed you.
“In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” Ephesians 1:13
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What does it mean that you are sealed with the Holy Spirit?
First, it is a mark of authenticity. If the Holy Spirit is not in you, then you are a fake. First John 3:24 says, “And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us.”
Second, the seal is a mark of ownership, like the branding of a cow. You are His. Romans 8:9 says, “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.”
Third, the seal is a mark of security. Esther 8:8 tells about this type of seal, which “no man can reverse.”
ACTION POINT:
The way I am kept saved is because God sealed me. The way you are kept saved, is because God has sealed you.
~Adrian Rogers~
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"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2
Men of the world form their opinions of the gospel, from what they observe in its professors. There is nothing more dangerous and injurious, than when professors of religion conform to the world so far that no clear distinction can be observed between them and the worldling.
It is sometimes alleged by professors who thus accommodate themselves to the fashions and amusements of the world, that they hope by this means to render religion attractive. But this is a weak pretext, for such conformity always tends to confirm the ungodly in their carelessness. When they see professors at the theater, or in the ballroom, their conclusion is that there is no reality in Christianity.
"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:17-18
It is sometimes alleged by professors who thus accommodate themselves to the fashions and amusements of the world, that they hope by this means to render religion attractive. But this is a weak pretext, for such conformity always tends to confirm the ungodly in their carelessness. When they see professors at the theater, or in the ballroom, their conclusion is that there is no reality in Christianity.
"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:17-18
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