Tag Archive | Bible

Do You Know God?

Dec23

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;  1 John 2:3‭-‬4 NASB

“To know Him is to love Him”.

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.    John 14:15 NASB

What are His commandments? How do we know?

We have to open the word of God and read it.

To know, do and keep His commandments we have to know them.

but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. 1 John 2:5‭-‬6 NASB

By the abiding Spirit of God in you the word of God is understood. Trust the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to the understanding of God’s word and walk in the footsteps of Jesus, the manner that He walked, described in the Holy Word of God.

🌹 Experience the fullness of Christ abiding in you through prayer and the Word of God.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Righteous Suffering

Dec22

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.        Isaiah 53:7 NASB

For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.    1 Peter 2:20 NASB

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, Who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 1 Peter 2:21‭-‬23 NASB

For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:3 NASB

🌹 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.            Luke 9:23‭-‬24 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Broken & Repentant

Dec21

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;

According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin.

Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.

Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.

Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise.

For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.    Psalms 51:1‭-‬2‭, ‬4‭, ‬6‭-‬17 NASB

Are you in need of God’s grace, forgiveness, compassion, cleansing, wisdom, joy, gladness, a clean heart, restoration, a steadfast spirit, a fresh renewing touch of the Holy Spirit, a willing spirit?

🌹 How do you stand before Almighty God today?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Eagerly Waiting?

Dec18

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,   Titus 2:11‭ NASB

instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,     Titus 2:12 NASB

looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,    Titus 2:13 NASB

so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. Hebrews 9:28 NASB

🌹 Are you eagerly waiting for the great God and Savior, Jesus Christ?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Obedient Hope in Jesus

Dec17

Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. Hebrews 5:8 NASB

Suffering, trials, tribulation is part of living in this world of sin. But God, the Father, sent His perfect Son as an example and hope for us. Did Christ suffer? Did not Satan tempt Him? Was He not ridiculed and treated horrendously? Yet, He did not sin. He was our example of obedience to the Father.

And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,     Hebrews 5:9 NASB

Jesus, the perfect obedient Son, is the hope of eternal salvation to those who are obedient to Him.

Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:8 NASB

Jesus was obedient to the death. How far are you willing to go for eternal salvation?

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.    James 1:2‭, ‬12 NASB

🌹 Will you look at suffering in your life as opportunity to grow in Christ to a faithful, obedient child of God? Or grumble, complain and be disobedient?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

My Joy

Dec16

Remember me, O Lord , in Your favor toward Your people; Visit me with Your salvation, That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance.        Psalms 106:4‭-‬5 NASB

This is my heart’s desire. God, I believe, is calling me to serve His inheritance, His people. There is no greater joy for me than to see God’s people experience Him, to know the joy of their salvation, the peace of God in the midst of turmoil, to know the hope of prosperity in His chosen ones (eternally walking with Him). I glory in His inheritance (His people).

🌹 When people truly experience Him they make a difference in a lost world.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

The Church – Keeping the Unity

Dec15

but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.     Ephesians 4:15‭-‬16 NASB

Jesus must be made the head of the body, the Church, for unity to be accomplished. He places each part (person) of the body in the church and He “causes the growth for the building up of itself in love”. We individually must surrender to the Lordship of Christ and be obedient to His commands (the Word of God, Bible).

Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Ephesians 4:25 NASB

Neighbor: members of the church and accountable for and to one another.

be angry, and yet do not sin ; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. Ephesians 4:26‭-‬27 NASB

Remember that the devil is seeking whom he may devour and if he can destroy a church he will. Let us not give him the opportunity.

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29‭ NASB

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Ephesians 4:31 NASB

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.  Ephesians 4:32 NASB

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30 NASB

from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.    Ephesians 3:15‭-‬19 NASB

🌹O the blessings, the “riches of His glory”, “strengthened with power through His Holy Spirit”, the dwelling of Christ in the heart! By this and our obedience we comprehend with all the saints the abounding, overflowing, tremendous love of God and are filled to the fullness of God.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

The Church – Equipped

Dec14

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.  Ephesians 4:11‭-‬13 NASB

God has a plan. Every child of His He has given gifts for the edification and equipping of His Church, the body of Christ; to attain the unity of the faith by the knowledge of Jesus; growing into the fullness of Christ in us.

Unity. One mind, one body, one purpose.

One mind, the mind of Christ:

For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.    1 Corinthians 2:16 NASB

One body: The body of Christ.

One purpose:

We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.     Colossians 1:28 NASB

🌹How is God using you?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

The Church – Body of Christ

Dec11

In yesterday’s devotion we read how a Christian is a new creation. We have put on the new self, the image of Jesus.

What does that look like in relation to the Church, the body of Christ?

Well, we, a part of the body should. . .

with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:2‭-‬3 NASB

Be diligent (earnest, persistent, painstaking) to preserve the unity of the Spirit. How? In the bond of peace which means every part of the body (each person) must be humble, gentle, patient, tolerant in love.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.      Galatians 5:22‭-‬23 NASB

As a Christian we have the Spirit abiding in us so we have the capability to display the fruit of His Spirit particularly to the body of Christ.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.      Ephesians 4:4‭-‬6 NASB

God is the church. Jesus is Lord of His church. The Spirit unites us into one body under the Lordship of Christ and we are one with God who is over all, through all and in all.

🌹Are you united in faith with a body of believers? The body of Christ?!

God, I pray for your church. Unite your church into one body under the Lordship of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Pour out Your Spirit on Your body of true believers to be diligent in preserving unity in Your church by the fruit of Your Spirit being displayed toward one another. In godly love may Your church be known by their love for You displayed in loving one another.

In Jesus name, amen.

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

The Church – Christian

Dec10

if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Ephesians 4:21‭-‬24 NASB

Lord, as a Christian, one called by You unto salvation and a new life; help me daily to lay aside my old self which is corrupted with sin and be renewed in the spirit of my mind, putting on the new self, Your likeness which is Your righteousness, holiness and truth.

In Jesus name, amen.

If you have heard Him and been taught in Him:

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, Ephesians 1:13 NASB

Rid yourself of the old self:

But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.        Colossians 3:8 NASB. (See also: James 1:21, 1 Peter 2:1)

knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;   Romans 6:6 NASB

Put on the new self:

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. Romans 13:14 NASB

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.   Romans 6:4 NASB

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB

and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him-Colossians 3:10 NASB

🌹Have you “indeed” “heard Him” and “been taught in Him”?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon