Archive | April 2014

He is Risen!!!

Apr20

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. — Matthew 28:6

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. — 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

We have testimony that He arose! Celebrate! He is RISEN!!! Hallelujah and all praise be to God for what He has done!!!

Happy Resurrection Day!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Victory!

Apr19

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. — Hebrews 2:14-15

He Himself likewise also partook of the same. The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. Jesus experienced human life just like every human that ever lived. He also experienced extreme pain and anguish. As Jesus knelt in the garden He prayed, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” Jesus came for purpose — to fulfill the will of God.

Jesus was the perfect example of obedience. Through His obedience He died that He might render powerless the devil who had the power of death. We saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. Is there anything more glorious than what Jesus did for us? We are free from the fear of death and have received a spirit of adoption as sons. We also cry, “Abba Father” with grateful hearts.

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 Corinthians 15:57

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

– And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.– John 1:14
– For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” — Romans 8:15
Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” — Mark 14:36

Abide in Him

Apr18

Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. — 1 John 2:28

Little children in the New Testament Greek “is a term of affection by a teacher to his disciples under circumstances requiring a tender appeal”* This appeal is to us, disciples of Christ.

Abide in Him. We abide in Him and His love when we keep His commandments, abiding in His teachings. We have the confidence (assurance) that we are abiding because of the Holy Spirit that was given to us. When we have the Holy Spirit abiding in us we will bear much fruit (bring glory and honor to God by our productivity in Him).

Seek and practice His commandments and teachings until Jesus returns so we will not shrink away in shame but stand or humbly bow in His presence.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

*blueletterbible.org Lexicon Strongs G5040
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. — John 15:10
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. — John 15:4
By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. — 1 John 4:13
Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. — 2 John 1:9

Lest We Fall

Apr17

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12

It’s so easy to sit and critique the actions and sins of others. The Pastor of a big church who had an affair, the President of a Seminary whose power turned to pride and so many other examples that plaster the news way too often. We can open the Old Testament and see example after example of Israel craving evil, being idolators, acting immorally, trying the Lord, and grumbling which was not well-pleasing to God.

I look at my life and try to remember that I myself can be just seconds away from falling into sin. I am not to be wise in my own estimation, to be haughty and to ever think I am above sin. We are constantly being bombarded with choices in our lives and we can so easily fall. Let us not think we are beyond sinning but take heed lest we do fall. Let us heed the examples of the Word of God and learn.

Let us seek the Lord and have empathy for those who have fallen. Let us pray for their restoration and never forget that we could so easily be in the same situation.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. — Romans 12:16

Be Filled With The Spirit

Apr16

So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, — Ephesians 5:17-18

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is the desire of God for all mankind. If it were not so, it would not be written in His Word to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit — the Spirit of God Himself — living in us! Wow!!! What more could we want?

The Spirit filled life is one that understands the will of God. The Spirit of God dwelling in us testifies in us the will of God. The Holy Spirit transforms our lives when we allow Him to renew our minds. When we are filled with the spirit, we seek after, focus on the One who called us to salvation. We surrender our lives, hearts, minds and souls to Jesus and the work of His Spirit transforms our lives by the renewing of our minds for His glory — proving what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Who wouldn’t want to know the will of God? I thank God for the grace He bestowed on me to know His will. Come to Jesus, seek His forgiveness, receive the gift of salvation by giving your heart to Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit who reveals the will of God to you. So then do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is. Be filled with the Spirit. You will not regret your decision.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

O Lord, Our Hope

Apr15

O Lord, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the Lord. — Jeremiah 17:13

O Lord, our hope, I pray earnestly for those souls who forsake you. During this holy week may their eyes be opened to see the resurrected King. Help them to caste aside their shame and come to the living water. You Lord are the eternal fountain that flows within us so that we thirst no more.

I pray that our churches will be filled not only with the lost this Easter morning but also with Your Holy Spirit who draws all souls to You. May the call to salvation be heard clearly and the call to repentance obeyed. I hope and pray for thirsty hearts that pant for the living water. Call all to repentance dear Lord.

During this week I pray that we all come humbly to the cross and lay our sin and shame there and rise up renewed and full of rejoicing because You are risen!!!! I pray that we, Your children, come to church with gladness and rejoicing desiring to worship the risen King!

Are you looking forward to celebrating Resurrection Sunday?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Hope is the Lord

Apr14

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. — Jeremiah 17:7 (NKJV)

Here’s another “blessed is” statement. God loves to bless His children. But what does it mean to trust?

Trust: reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc. of a person or thing; confidence/Confident expectation of something; hope/A person on whom or thing on which one relies

Confidence: full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing

We are blessed when we put our reliance, confidence, full trust, hope and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our example of real integrity and strength, who is more than able to supply all we would ever need, who is trustworthy and powerful.

Where is our confidence and peace in life? In hope that is based on God. Seek Jesus who is our hope!

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. — Hebrews 11:1

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Living Hope

Apr13

In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. — Ephesians 2:12-13 (NLT)

Living in this world without God is living a life without hope. We no longer need to live apart from Christ. We have been united with Christ, brought near to Him through His shed blood.

At one time all of us were alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds; walking according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. We did not know God, we were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.

We are a new creation. We have hope of salvation and eternal life. We also have hope that God is doing a good work in us. We have the hope of His promise for us and our children and for all who are far off. God is calling all to repentance (a change of heart and mind with regret or remorse over sin that results in a change of purpose and life). He is calling us to a warm intimate relationship, a relationship filled with hope, a living hope.

Do you need hope? Then it is time to hope in Jesus Christ. Seek Him today while He may be found.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon
 

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, — Colossians 3:21
However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. — Galatians 4:8
in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. — Ephesians 2:2
For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” — Acts 2:39

Hope

Apr12

It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. — 1 Timothy 4:9-10

“Godliness is profitable for all things” is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. As we saw in yesterday’s devotional, godliness holds the promise for the present life as well as the life to come. Because of the hope we have in Jesus Christ we labor and strive for godliness. It is He who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we set our hope. And He will yet deliver us,*

We need to fix our hope on the living God. The Lord Jesus who rose from the grave and is alive and working in our lives. He is the Savior of all, especially believers. Seek the Lord Jesus everyday in everything you do and allow Him to do a good work in you, the work of righteousness and godliness. Seek Jesus, our only hope.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

* — 2 Corinthians 2:10;

Godliness Holds Promise

Apr11

for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. — 1 Timothy 4:8

Bodily discipline can make you healthier, stronger, more flexible, thinner, and/or feel better overall. BUT, no matter how disciplined you are physically, it will not get you to heaven. Physical activity relieves stress, refreshes the mind and gets the blood pumping which is great. BUT, it holds no promise for the life to come.

It’s not about quitting exercise and spending all our time seeking godliness. Just like living for Jesus is living Christ in all we do it is practicing godliness in all we do. Over the last year and a half I started exercising and lost 65 pounds. During this time I drew closer and closer to the Lord. How? When I took my 2-4 mile walks I prayed. I communed with God. I sought godliness from the Master of godliness. I experienced (and still do) what it must have been like for Adam and Eve or Elijah.

I benefited from my walks because I felt better and lost weight but it does not compare to the awesome walk I am having with the Almighty God of the universe!!!! My healthier lifestyle just adds to the ability I now have to serve Him more diligently.

My body is more physically disciplined now but it will still die one day. My walk with God is beneficial for me now and will continue into eternity. I envision talking with God as Elijah did and walk right into heaven. Now that holds promise for the life to come.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon