Tag Archive | salvation

Great is Thy Faithfulness

May5

Prayer has been the subject of my devotionals the past three days  and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share this old hymn that supports prayer so well. If not for God’s faithfulness we would not know compassion, mercy, provision, love, peace, guidance, strength, hope, salvation, contentment, joy and blessings. All this from a God who is, was and forever will be. The more we talk with Him the more we enjoy His presence and experience His faithfulness.

 

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Refrain

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Refrain

 

The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
For who in the skies is comparable to the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty is like the Lord, — Psalm 89:5-6

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

I Choose

Apr27

15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. — Psalm 34:15-22

The Lord sees, hears, listens and delivers the righteous. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth,* especially the brokenhearted, whom He heals And binds up their wounds.«

Our Redeemer and Savior redeems His servant and saves the crushed in spirit. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.»

The face of the Lord is against evil doers and their evil will slay the wicked. Condemned are those who hate the righteous.

I choose to have the face of God shine upon me by seeking Him and His glory. I choose to follow and be blessed by His grace and I choose to worship my Jesus in church tomorrow where My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You; And my soul, which You have redeemed.^

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

* Psalm 145:18
« Psalm 147:3
» Psalm 37:40
^ Psalm 71:23

Practice The Walk

Apr22

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. — Psalm 34:1-3

How’s your walk with Jesus? Do you bless Him, thank Him in everything and praise Him at all times? This is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus. We are not perfect but that is not an excuse for not continually trying to do His will. When my heart is focused on blessing, thanking and praising God, I find my heart boasts of Him. It comes easily.

Practicing this kind of walk with the Lord opens doors of communication with those Jesus is calling to Him. He opens the eyes of the lost who humbly approach the throne seeking His salvation. Our walk with Jesus is so important to living an effective life of soul winning. When souls are introduced to Jesus He is magnified and we rejoice and exalt His name together.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. — 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

Afflicted And Needy

Apr21

Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me; For I am afflicted and needy. Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man; O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You. Be gracious to me, O Lord, For to You I cry all day long. Make glad the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You. — Psalm 86:1-5

Have you ever been troubled greatly, afflicted? Afflicted so much that you are needy, in need of practical or emotional support? I’m sure you have. Who do you turn to?

I’ve been there. Wanting so much to be godly as I cry out. Lord, is there a hidden motive in my request for help in my distress? Am I being selfish, stubborn, greedy, angry, or desiring pity? My first request is to ask for forgiveness if there is any deceptive way in me. Lord, You are good and ready to forgive.

As I humbly pour out my heart to You, my Lord, I seek Your grace and salvation as I trust in You. Hear my supplication, O God. In my need, O God, I lift up my soul asking You in Your lovingkindness, to those who call upon You, make my soul glad.

All I can say is that my God is faithful. He loves me and hears my prayers. After such an ordeal He affirms His love and faithfulness by sending me to this scripture. He reminds me that He loves me and listens to my prayers, He is gracious and forgives my sin, and then He reminds me of His faithfulness when He restores my soul.

Distressed? Troubled? Take it to Jesus.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

Afflict: to distress with mental or byodily pain; trouble greatly or grievously
Needy: in need of practical or emotional support;

“afflict.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 20 Apr. 2014. .

(“needy.” Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 20 Apr. 2014. <Dictionary.com)

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

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

Dad’s Greatest Gift To Me

Apr7

 

I shared this message at my Dad’s memorial:

I would like to tell you about the greatest gift my Dad ever gave me. This gift is a gift that he actually received. This was and is a gift that doesn’t lose its value when re-gifted. This is a gift, because he accepted it, that affected many, many people. This gift, like a diamond, has many facets. This gift comes wrapped in strength, peace and assurance.

The greatest gift my Dad gave to me was the gift of salvation that he received from Jesus Christ!

When Jesus was being led away to His crucifixion there was a large crowd following Him — women were mourning and lamenting Him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children”.*

My Dad is with Jesus now and O the peace that brings to me and the strength to carry on. John 14:27-28 says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” As Jesus said — weep for yourselves and for your children — Dad is at peace, experiencing joy as never before — my concern here is . . . do you know Jesus? Have you received the gift Jesus has for you so that when you pass your loved one can have the assurance and peace of your salvation and the strength to carry on?

There is no greater gift you can re-gift to anyone than to receive the greatest gift ever given – the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Please, if you do not have the assurance of where you are headed in death – come talk to me or someone you know who knows Jesus. It makes all the difference.

Thank You Jesus for my Dad’s salvation, my salvation and the peace and assurance of where Dad is. All praise and glory to You, my God. Amen.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

* Luke 23:27-28

Shine Jesus Shine Pt. 3

Mar12

As we gaze on Your kindly brightness.
So our faces display Your likeness.
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirrored here may our lives tell Your story.
Shine on me. Shine on me.

— Cliff Richard–

Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple, and the temple was filled with the cloud and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord — Ezekiel 10:4

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, — Titus 3:4-5

like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. — 1 Peter 2:2-3

[Moses’ Face Shines] It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. — Exodus 34:29

They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces will never be ashamed. — Psalm 34:5

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. — 2 Corinthians 3:18

Does your face and life reveal the image/likeness of Christ? Does it display His story? Just as Moses’ face shone because of his speaking with Him, our lives are transformed from glory to glory when we take time to speak with Him, Jesus Christ.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Pray For Them

Mar9

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. — Romans 1:8

Praise God for those who take the gospel to all the world. I think specifically of missionaries. They are letting the Word of God perform it’s work in them.

All who receive the Word of God and believe the gospel message (Jesus left His throne on high to humbly come to earth for the purpose of reconciling man’s relationship with God, by paying the debt for our sin on the cross. God raised Jesus from the grave so we can live abundant, productive lives that continues on to eternity) are transformed as the Word of God performs it’s perfect work in them. Since the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth, you are constantly bearing fruit and increasing.

What can we do for our missionaries and one another — since all believers are technically missionaries to their portion of the world? We can give thanks to God for them and mention them in our prayers.

How can we pray for them? “Ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” (Colossians 1:9-10).

God is at work in the world today through believers so let’s pray continually for all believers. Together Jesus will accomplish His work in and through us to His glory. Let us join God in His work to bring the lost to salvation by uniting together and praying for one another so the power of His Word will travel to all parts of this earth.