Divine Nature

Make it your aim to prepare yourself for your mission as a follower of Jesus Written by GodLife on 31/01/2017 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Bible, Application, Interpretation, Context, Obedience Ezra had spent his entire life studying and obeying the Law of the Lord and teaching it to others. Ezra 7:10 Most Christians understand that we’re all supposed to be reading the Bible on a regular basis. But isn’t it true that it’s hard to understand at times? (It’s OK to admit this - even Peter did! [2 Peter 3:16]) Even when we “understand” it, it’s possible to take it all in and go away unchanged. (James 1:23-24) But God’s promise to bless what we do only applies “if we listen and obey, and don’t just hear and forget.” (James 1:25) Here are three simple principles for reading the Bible. You can remember them by associating them with “SOS,” the international call for help: S: What does it SAY Before we can make use of what we read, we have to be sure of what it meant at the time...

He is Infinitely Wise Written by Dan Lee on 10/01/2017 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Wisdom, Hope, Sovereignty Who can measure the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God? Who can understand his decisions or explain what he does? “Has anyone known the thoughts of the Lord or given him advice? Romans 11:33-34 CEV We as human beings are constantly faced with tough decisions, and situations. It’s the nature of living in a fallen world. However, through all of the turmoil, God is still sovereign and is truly wise. If we doubt that God has infinite wisdom, we will be tempted to despair when things go wrong. On the other hand, understanding God’s wisdom helps us to trust Him and be secure in any situation. Here are some areas we see God’s wisdom demonstrated, and why you should trust his Wisdom: Creation – Past and Present By wisdom the Lord founded the earth; by understanding he created the heavens. (Proverbs 3:19) From the distant galaxies to the tiniest insect, everythin...

If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. Matthew 5:46 We are surrounded by all kinds of people. Some are easy to love. Others, we tend to ignore. Then there are some that act in ways that makes us want to hate them. Here are three kinds of people we might tend to look down on, or even hate — and what God’s Word says about them: 1. “Servers” People of many cultures look down on waiters, clerks, or manual laborers. We act as though they exist only to meet our needs and pay no attention to their feelings. But Peter says in his letter, “And all of you, serve each other in humility, for ‘God opposes the proud but favors the humble.’” (1 Peter 5:5) God’s love means having a humble heart for others. 2. “Sinners” Jesus told a story about two people praying in the temple: a Pharisee and a despised tax collector. The Pharisee prayed, “I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else . . . I’m certainly...

Be sure of this: He is with us always, even to the end of the age. Written by GodLife on 27/12/2016 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Incarnation, Jesus Birth Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish. Isaiah 46:9-10 As we are finishing the Christmas season, we are reminded that not only did Jesus come at this time, but He is always with us! A mathematician once calculated that eight predictions of Christ's coming (like the ones in “Part 4” of our Jesus Booklet) had one chance in ten "quadrillion" (10,000,000,000,000,000) of being fulfilled in one person. Why did God go to such dramatic lengths to prove Himself? He did it to “pitch His tent” with us John 1:1-18 sums up the mission of Jesus. He needed to become a man to live among us. Verse 14 literally says He "tabernacled," or...

Jesus’ Radically Dependent Life Reproduced in His Followers Written by GodLife on 24/01/2017 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Jesus, Happy, Blessed, Grace, Mercy It is enough for disciples to be like their teacher and for slaves to be like their master. Matthew 10:25 As followers of Jesus, we have to know what He taught in order to know Him and follow Him. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, found in the book of Matthew (Chapters 5-7), is a great start. A religious scholar once said that nothing “…exhorts us more than this Sermon on the Mount to be what we are meant to be, and to live as we are meant to live; to be like Christ by being a complete contrast to everyone who does not belong to Christ.” Do you want your life to stand out in radical contrast to the rest of the world? Let His teachings be your guide. “God blesses those people who depend only on him. They belong to the kingdom of heaven!” (Matthew 5:3) This means we come to understand we have nothing to offer God. Jesus o...

Five Reasons Not to Worry About Tomorrow Written by GodLife on 17/01/2017 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Worry, Control, God, Jesus Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say. Psalm 139:4 My husband and I took off for our routine evening walk the other day. And as we rounded the walking trail, he repeatedly had to duck to avoid smashing his head against the branches that hung low. He endured this annoyance for a while. However, that all changed when God showed him not to worry or be anxious... The next day, before we headed out, he grabbed the trimming clippers from the garage. Armed with this weapon that he carried rifle style, we set off for our walk. As we drew closer, he gave a gasp of surprise. The maintenance folks had taken care of the trimming. I couldn’t suppress my laughter as he carried the clippers back home. We all do that, don’t we? When the branches of life annoy us, we get fed up. Sometimes we become anxious because the problem persists. Maybe...