King James Bible Daily Devotion –
Learning Scripture One
Day At A Time
Date:
Saturday,
October 24, 2015
Chapters:
Luke 6-7
http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-297.html
Message
Title: Being
A Disciple Of Christ
Hello My Friend,
Disciple,
a learner or follower; a scholar; one who receives or professes to
receive instruction from another. Many people have or are disciples,
if you are a trainer of some sort, whether it's in school, a job, a
coach, or a parent than you have disciples, people that follow by
your example. Sadly, some lead immoral and corrupt lives, bringing
many along with them. Besides coming here to be the permanent
redemption sacrifice for all mankind, Jesus also came here to show us
how to live a godly life in the midst of a very ungodly world. He is
our teacher, He is the Word of God made flesh, He is our greatest
example of surviving in this life and moving on to eternal life.
There is one requirement to being a disciple of Christ, and
everything else will fall into place. “Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever
will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life
for my sake shall find it.” - Matthew
16:24,25.
“Whosoever
will save his life shall lose it” When we receive Christ
as our Saviour the life we once lived will be replaced with a new
life, one that if we follow Him will be like no life we have ever
known. In order to understand and grow as a disciple of Christ we
must follow Him. Jesus had many more disciples other than the twelve
that walked with Him daily during His ministry, Luke is one of them.
Often when He addresses His disciples, He is speaking to all of them,
including us disciples today. He explains that it's not always easy
following Him, but those who do will reap the rewards.
“Blessed
are ye that hunger now: for ye
shall be filled. Blessed
are ye that weep now: for ye
shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they
shall separate you
from their company, and shall
reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's
sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your
reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers
unto the prophets. But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have
received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall
hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.”
- Luke 6:21-25.
“Shall
reproach you, and cast out your name as evil” We are in
a time where evil is considered good and good is evil. If we follow
Christ and represent Him in any way we can expect some persecution,
and this is happening all over the world. We can also expect God's
back, He will not let them mess with us without getting vengeance. We
must realize that once we receive Christ we belong to God and that
means not a hair on our heads gets touched without Him knowing about
it, and He will make sure they are punished much more severely for
what they did to us than we ever got from them. Jesus tells us how to
get even with those who hurt us. “But I
say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which
hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and
lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and
ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the
unthankful and to the evil.” - Luke 6:27,28,35.
“For
he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” God is
not a respecter of persons, He shines the beautiful on all to give
all an opportunity to know His Son. God could take us out of here
immediately after we are saved, but He will not do that because there
are many more people that need to be saved. Our Christlike presence
in this world is needed to show the lost that they can know Christ
too. If we follow Him we are a reflection of Him, and people
literally see Him in those who follow Him. I ran into a woman I
worked with years ago she couldn't believe the amazing things that
happened in my life, and she saw the life I lived. I am a walking
testimony that Christ literally changes the lives of those who follow
Him. “Brethren, if any of you do err from the
truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth
the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death,
and shall hide a multitude of sins.” - James 5:19,20.
I
never understood why people who really do not live their lives with
Jesus want to be around those who do. You would think that something
would sink in, but it's like they have blinders on. In reality they
want to catch us doing something so they can discredit Jesus. They
are the first to become offended or jealous at the blessings God
brings, and are quick to judge you if they see you doing what they
think is wrong. This is exactly what the Pharisees were doing, and
Jesus has something to say to all those who follow false religion and
judge us for believing in and following Him.
“Judge
not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be
condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be
given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and
running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same
measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
And he spake a parable unto them, Can
the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect
shall be as his master. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in
thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own
eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull
out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not
the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the
beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull
out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.” - Luke
6:37-42.
“The disciple is not
above his master” We belong to Jesus and as long as we
do we are going to be accused of many things, especially from other
“Christians”. We can't explain anything to them because they will
not listen, the best thing we can do is take care of ourselves in the
mercies and grace of God. The second we accept Christ as our Saviour
we put on His righteousness, meaning we are perfect in the eyes of
God because all of our sin is washed away. He no longer looks at us
through the murky water that kept Him from seeing us, He looks at us
through His perfect Son, who shines through us. “Therefore
by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his
sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the
righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed
by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is
by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for
there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” - Romans
3:20-24.
Today's Prayer:
Jesus, You know my heart, my thoughts, and even my actions before I
do them. I know that I am who I am today because You touched me. I am
not the same creature I was when You picked me up out of the hole I
was in, but You are not done with me yet. You have much more for me
to do. Lord, lead me and guide me, give me the strength that only You
can give me to be more like You and less like me. Let me be a the
disciple You need me to be, to be a witness and testimony for those
who need You, and even those who lost their way. In Your name, Jesus,
Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To
KJB Daily
Devotions:
http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Do
You Know For Sure You Are Going To Heaven?:
http://godsprice.com/
Visit
I'm Following Jesus:
http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like
I'm Following Jesus On
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright
© 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Friday, October 23, 2015
The Devil Is In The Details
King
James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning
Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Friday, October 23, 2015
Chapters: Luke 4-5 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-296.html
Message Title: The Devil Is In The Details
Hello My Friend,
Did you ever hear the saying, “the devil is in the details”? Think about it, how many times have you been offered something, whether it's a job, a relationship, or assistance you need, and all you have to do is this one thing and you will be taken care of? If you are a saved, born again Christian, you are going to be tempted and tried in so many ways to go against your faith, the devil is in the details. If you are not saved, have everything you desire and have no desire to know Christ, the devil is in the details. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” - 1 Peter 5:8,9.
“Seeking whom he may devour” No matter who we are, the devil never stops seeking those he can control and eventually devour. You may think that he only messes with the saved by affliction, death, or evil, but he uses every means necessary to get not only the saved away from Christ (he can't take their souls, but he can pull them into sin), but keep the unsaved from knowing and or accepting Christ. The devil tempts us in one of three ways, first he tries to tempt our flesh. If we have any physical, mental, or even spiritual weaknesses he will use it to persuade us to do anything for relief. After Jesus was baptized he was led into the woods and after forty days of fasting the devil tempted Him. “Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” - Luke 4:2-3.
“If thou be the Son of God,” The devil loves to question our faith in Christ when we are in our weakest state. God knows what we are in need of, when we put Him first, everything else will fall into place. God uses me to be one of those people who live day by day my daily bread, no matter how bleak it looks, He always provides me with the money, food, clothes, and all things I need, when I need them. He even goes as far as giving me the things I desire and do not even need. God blesses us for our faithfulness, no matter what the circumstance, our needs are always met when we feed on Him first. “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” - Matthew 6:25,32,33.
The second way in which the devil tempts us is by getting us to worship him through earthly desires. He showed Jesus all the He could have if He worshiped him. “And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” - Luke 4:5-8.
“All this power will I give thee” Power, people will literally sell themselves to the devil for power and they don't even know it. Nations, businesses, homes get destroyed when people we will do anything necessary to get control of them. Do you think the devil is doing you a favor by giving you so much power? No. There will come a time that you have to pay him back, and it's gonna be with your life. You can't play with the devil and expect a good outcome, you will end up right where he is going. Right now, he is in all his glory, but there will come a time when he must pay also, and anyone who gave their souls to him will pay for it with their own lives. “Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” -Revelation 20:10,21:8.
The third way in which the devil tempts us is by getting us to tempt God Himself. Once again he tempts Jesus, this time tempting Him with God. “And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.” - Luke 4:9-13.
“For it is written,” Don't think that the devil will not use Scripture to try and get us to do the thing that he wants. Anyone can read Scripture and twist it in a way that gets you to think, maybe it is from God. This is where it gets tricky and we must get in God's Word ourselves to determine whether or not the things that we are presented with are coming from God or the devil. Take a look at your situation and the offers you get to find some relief in them. Is it something God wants for you or is it something the you want for you? Offers and deals that go against God's commands are always too good to be true and will end up giving you more problems than relief from the current. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” - 2 Timothy 2:15,16.
“But shun profane and vain babblings” Those who gladly receive Christ gladly receive His Word, amazingly, some Christians do not want to receive His Word. I came across this Christian community forum, one of the rules was that you were not allowed to speak of current disasters/events as if they were of God. Everything is of God, and everything in the Bible will come to pass, much of it already has, pretending that these things are not going to happen and silencing those who do know will not keep Jesus from returning. While many rejected Jesus and His preaching some followed Him just to hear it, this time there were so many that He got into a ship and began to preach off the shore of the lake of Gennesaret. While He was speaking He noticed the men working on the ship, they had been fishing all day with no results.
“Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” - Luke 5:4-10.
“Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” God has much to bless us with if we just trust Him and do what He says, all of what He says. Jesus told them to let down their nets, not just one. How often do we only get half blessings because we do not follow His commands completely? It's not a light thing when we only listen to Him partially, we really lose out on a lot of His blessings. “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man,” This is Peter, he believed that his sin was too much and that he could not be saved. There is no sin too great that we can't be saved, and once we humble ourselves to admit that we are sinners we will soon find out that Jesus not only accepts us, He will use us for His work. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” - James 4:7-10.
Today's Prayer: God, There are a lot of rumors out there, so many that we don't know what to believe, while we can't predict the return of Your Son we can be prepared. We can be prepared by putting on Your whole armor, we can walk in righteousness, we can live by faith, we can tell the Gospel to all we know, we can be assured of our salvation, and we can be armed by the truth of Your Word as we hear and receive Jesus Christ in our lives. Lord, prepare us, lead us, guide us, and give us Your power to withstand the devil and every evil device that he tries to pull us away from You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To KJB Daily Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Do You Know For Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Date: Friday, October 23, 2015
Chapters: Luke 4-5 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-296.html
Message Title: The Devil Is In The Details
Hello My Friend,
Did you ever hear the saying, “the devil is in the details”? Think about it, how many times have you been offered something, whether it's a job, a relationship, or assistance you need, and all you have to do is this one thing and you will be taken care of? If you are a saved, born again Christian, you are going to be tempted and tried in so many ways to go against your faith, the devil is in the details. If you are not saved, have everything you desire and have no desire to know Christ, the devil is in the details. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” - 1 Peter 5:8,9.
“Seeking whom he may devour” No matter who we are, the devil never stops seeking those he can control and eventually devour. You may think that he only messes with the saved by affliction, death, or evil, but he uses every means necessary to get not only the saved away from Christ (he can't take their souls, but he can pull them into sin), but keep the unsaved from knowing and or accepting Christ. The devil tempts us in one of three ways, first he tries to tempt our flesh. If we have any physical, mental, or even spiritual weaknesses he will use it to persuade us to do anything for relief. After Jesus was baptized he was led into the woods and after forty days of fasting the devil tempted Him. “Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” - Luke 4:2-3.
“If thou be the Son of God,” The devil loves to question our faith in Christ when we are in our weakest state. God knows what we are in need of, when we put Him first, everything else will fall into place. God uses me to be one of those people who live day by day my daily bread, no matter how bleak it looks, He always provides me with the money, food, clothes, and all things I need, when I need them. He even goes as far as giving me the things I desire and do not even need. God blesses us for our faithfulness, no matter what the circumstance, our needs are always met when we feed on Him first. “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” - Matthew 6:25,32,33.
The second way in which the devil tempts us is by getting us to worship him through earthly desires. He showed Jesus all the He could have if He worshiped him. “And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” - Luke 4:5-8.
“All this power will I give thee” Power, people will literally sell themselves to the devil for power and they don't even know it. Nations, businesses, homes get destroyed when people we will do anything necessary to get control of them. Do you think the devil is doing you a favor by giving you so much power? No. There will come a time that you have to pay him back, and it's gonna be with your life. You can't play with the devil and expect a good outcome, you will end up right where he is going. Right now, he is in all his glory, but there will come a time when he must pay also, and anyone who gave their souls to him will pay for it with their own lives. “Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” -Revelation 20:10,21:8.
The third way in which the devil tempts us is by getting us to tempt God Himself. Once again he tempts Jesus, this time tempting Him with God. “And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.” - Luke 4:9-13.
“For it is written,” Don't think that the devil will not use Scripture to try and get us to do the thing that he wants. Anyone can read Scripture and twist it in a way that gets you to think, maybe it is from God. This is where it gets tricky and we must get in God's Word ourselves to determine whether or not the things that we are presented with are coming from God or the devil. Take a look at your situation and the offers you get to find some relief in them. Is it something God wants for you or is it something the you want for you? Offers and deals that go against God's commands are always too good to be true and will end up giving you more problems than relief from the current. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” - 2 Timothy 2:15,16.
“But shun profane and vain babblings” Those who gladly receive Christ gladly receive His Word, amazingly, some Christians do not want to receive His Word. I came across this Christian community forum, one of the rules was that you were not allowed to speak of current disasters/events as if they were of God. Everything is of God, and everything in the Bible will come to pass, much of it already has, pretending that these things are not going to happen and silencing those who do know will not keep Jesus from returning. While many rejected Jesus and His preaching some followed Him just to hear it, this time there were so many that He got into a ship and began to preach off the shore of the lake of Gennesaret. While He was speaking He noticed the men working on the ship, they had been fishing all day with no results.
“Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” - Luke 5:4-10.
“Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” God has much to bless us with if we just trust Him and do what He says, all of what He says. Jesus told them to let down their nets, not just one. How often do we only get half blessings because we do not follow His commands completely? It's not a light thing when we only listen to Him partially, we really lose out on a lot of His blessings. “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man,” This is Peter, he believed that his sin was too much and that he could not be saved. There is no sin too great that we can't be saved, and once we humble ourselves to admit that we are sinners we will soon find out that Jesus not only accepts us, He will use us for His work. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” - James 4:7-10.
Today's Prayer: God, There are a lot of rumors out there, so many that we don't know what to believe, while we can't predict the return of Your Son we can be prepared. We can be prepared by putting on Your whole armor, we can walk in righteousness, we can live by faith, we can tell the Gospel to all we know, we can be assured of our salvation, and we can be armed by the truth of Your Word as we hear and receive Jesus Christ in our lives. Lord, prepare us, lead us, guide us, and give us Your power to withstand the devil and every evil device that he tries to pull us away from You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To KJB Daily Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Do You Know For Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Mine Eyes Have See Thy Salvation
King
James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning
Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2015
Chapters: Luke 2-3 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-295.html
Message Title: Mine Eyes Have See Thy Salvation
Hello My Friend,
Jesus, could have come to earth any other way to save us, instead He chose to come here as an ordinary man, to be born, to live, and to die as an ordinary man. He chose to feel hunger, pain, rejection, and to live in subjection to the laws of man. He chose to omit all His power as the Almighty God and give it all to God, the Father. Why? If Jesus came here in any other form we would still be offering animal sacrifices to be reconciled with God. In order for Jesus to help us escape from the bondage of sin, death, and Satan himself, He had to become what we are, His sufferings and endurances as an ordinary man made Him more than qualified to be the High Priest that not only offered the sacrifice to God, but became the sacrifice Himself. “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” - Hebrews 9:11,12.
Mary was blessed to have been given the privilege to carry the baby Jesus for God, I often wonder what she thought of the whole time she carried Him. I imagine she often wondered if she were doing or even thinking the right things and what was going to happen after He was born. Now the time had finally come for her to give birth, immediately after the angels rejoiced and told the good news to nearby shepherds.
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.” - Luke 2:8-12,15,16.
“Let us now go even unto Bethlehem” Shepherds were known as the lowest people in Israel. These lowly men awaited their Messiah, and upon the first indication that he had actually appeared they went immediately to find him. All people when hearing the Good News of the Saviour, should without delay seek Him while He may be found. Until He returns we will always find Him, we need not travel to Bethlehem, only cast our eyes to heaven and look to Him, to believe on Him, and we shall find that He is right beside us, and will forever be our Saviour. ”He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” - 1 John 5:10-12.
Mary followed the law of Moses as any godly Israelite woman would, Jesus was circumcised eight days later, she had undergone her own purification for thirty-three days, and now she was about to enter the temple to offer the required sacrifices. While there, a man approached her and Joseph, he picks up Jesus and says something above the normal blessings that any proud new parents would receive.
“And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;” - Luke 2:25-34.
“For mine eyes have seen thy salvation” The consolation of Israel, also known as the Comforter, the one who would alleviate all their misery and ease their fear of death. Most people fear death because they know deep inside that there is the chance that they will end up in hell. However, once we look the Comforter in the eyes we see life and no longer fear death because we will be in heaven with Jesus one day. Christ is the Comforter and no matter who we are, all who see salvation in Him, meaning believe in and receive Him as their sole redemption from hell and will fear no more what man can do. “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” - Hebrews 9:28.
John the Baptist spent most of his life on earth preaching the Gospel of Christ to Israel, Some believed, some did not, but all knew that the Messiah would come one day. Some even thought that he was the Messiah they all waited for, and now an account is given of John. “Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” - Luke 3:2-6.
“And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” John baptized people who were saved, they were preached the same Gospel that we preach today, which is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Just like we have to believe that Jesus came, they had to believe that He was coming for the same purpose. They truly believed that He was coming to save them and He alone would atone for their sins once and for all. One day all will see Jesus for who He is, and sadly it will be to late for many. We know not what tomorrow holds, all we have is today, we can't go to Jesus after we die and see Him face to face, the time to accept Him is now. “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” - Revelation 3:2,3.
Today's Prayer: God, Thank You for sending Your Son to give us all a way to not only have Your presence in our lives, but that it may be forever. You could have chosen any other way to redeem us, but You chose to use a lowly, humble Shepherd to not only show us the way to You, but that we will be able to have a lasting relationship with You. I want to walk in the wisdom of Your Word as I make wise choices today, You have given me the freedom to choose how to live my life and I choose to live it with Your Son. I know I will not always be in Your will, but Your mercy and grace is sufficient enough to get me back on track every time. Open my heart, let me ponder Your Word, keep it with me daily, and live in obedience to Your commands as a testimony of thanks for giving Your Son as the ransom for my sin debt. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To KJB Daily Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Do You Know For Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2015
Chapters: Luke 2-3 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-295.html
Message Title: Mine Eyes Have See Thy Salvation
Hello My Friend,
Jesus, could have come to earth any other way to save us, instead He chose to come here as an ordinary man, to be born, to live, and to die as an ordinary man. He chose to feel hunger, pain, rejection, and to live in subjection to the laws of man. He chose to omit all His power as the Almighty God and give it all to God, the Father. Why? If Jesus came here in any other form we would still be offering animal sacrifices to be reconciled with God. In order for Jesus to help us escape from the bondage of sin, death, and Satan himself, He had to become what we are, His sufferings and endurances as an ordinary man made Him more than qualified to be the High Priest that not only offered the sacrifice to God, but became the sacrifice Himself. “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” - Hebrews 9:11,12.
Mary was blessed to have been given the privilege to carry the baby Jesus for God, I often wonder what she thought of the whole time she carried Him. I imagine she often wondered if she were doing or even thinking the right things and what was going to happen after He was born. Now the time had finally come for her to give birth, immediately after the angels rejoiced and told the good news to nearby shepherds.
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.” - Luke 2:8-12,15,16.
“Let us now go even unto Bethlehem” Shepherds were known as the lowest people in Israel. These lowly men awaited their Messiah, and upon the first indication that he had actually appeared they went immediately to find him. All people when hearing the Good News of the Saviour, should without delay seek Him while He may be found. Until He returns we will always find Him, we need not travel to Bethlehem, only cast our eyes to heaven and look to Him, to believe on Him, and we shall find that He is right beside us, and will forever be our Saviour. ”He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” - 1 John 5:10-12.
Mary followed the law of Moses as any godly Israelite woman would, Jesus was circumcised eight days later, she had undergone her own purification for thirty-three days, and now she was about to enter the temple to offer the required sacrifices. While there, a man approached her and Joseph, he picks up Jesus and says something above the normal blessings that any proud new parents would receive.
“And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;” - Luke 2:25-34.
“For mine eyes have seen thy salvation” The consolation of Israel, also known as the Comforter, the one who would alleviate all their misery and ease their fear of death. Most people fear death because they know deep inside that there is the chance that they will end up in hell. However, once we look the Comforter in the eyes we see life and no longer fear death because we will be in heaven with Jesus one day. Christ is the Comforter and no matter who we are, all who see salvation in Him, meaning believe in and receive Him as their sole redemption from hell and will fear no more what man can do. “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” - Hebrews 9:28.
John the Baptist spent most of his life on earth preaching the Gospel of Christ to Israel, Some believed, some did not, but all knew that the Messiah would come one day. Some even thought that he was the Messiah they all waited for, and now an account is given of John. “Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” - Luke 3:2-6.
“And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” John baptized people who were saved, they were preached the same Gospel that we preach today, which is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Just like we have to believe that Jesus came, they had to believe that He was coming for the same purpose. They truly believed that He was coming to save them and He alone would atone for their sins once and for all. One day all will see Jesus for who He is, and sadly it will be to late for many. We know not what tomorrow holds, all we have is today, we can't go to Jesus after we die and see Him face to face, the time to accept Him is now. “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” - Revelation 3:2,3.
Today's Prayer: God, Thank You for sending Your Son to give us all a way to not only have Your presence in our lives, but that it may be forever. You could have chosen any other way to redeem us, but You chose to use a lowly, humble Shepherd to not only show us the way to You, but that we will be able to have a lasting relationship with You. I want to walk in the wisdom of Your Word as I make wise choices today, You have given me the freedom to choose how to live my life and I choose to live it with Your Son. I know I will not always be in Your will, but Your mercy and grace is sufficient enough to get me back on track every time. Open my heart, let me ponder Your Word, keep it with me daily, and live in obedience to Your commands as a testimony of thanks for giving Your Son as the ransom for my sin debt. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To KJB Daily Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Do You Know For Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Friend Of God
King
James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning
Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Chapters: Luke 1 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-294.html
Message Title: Friend Of God
Hello My Friend,
The Gospel of Luke is the forty-second book of the Bible, the third book of the New Testament, the third book of the Gospels of Christ, and contains twenty-four chapters. The author of this Gospel is Luke and it was first aimed at reaching the Greeks, whom Jesus is presented as the perfect man. The timeline for these events took place approximately between 4BC and 33 AD. The purpose of this Gospel was to give an orderly account of Jesus from birth to show that He is the promised Messiah, and give an account to the Scriptures regarding John the Baptist. What we are to learn from the book is that our mission is to reach the lost with the good news of the Gospel and to realize that nothing is impossible for God. “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” - Luke 1:37.
Luke is called by Paul, the beloved physician, he often traveled with Paul throughout his ministry, he treasured the words that Jesus spoke, as well as everything else that concerned the Saviour's life. Luke begins his rendition of the Gospel with a declaration. “Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.” - Luke 1:1-4
“To write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus” Theophilus, friend of God. This Gospel is not addressed a specific person, but a group of people, those who are friends of God. These are those who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as their Saviour by faith in believing the Scriptures. We need to get a little idea of what is taking place here, this is a time when there were no prophets so, anyone who believed in and followed God did so like we do today, they read the Scriptures, and walked by them. We learn of man named Zacharias and his wife, Elisabeth.
“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.” - Luke 1:5-7,11-13.
“Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard” We may not see God in the flesh and it may even appear that He does not hear our pleas and cries to Him, but He listens to every single word we have to say to Him. When we are faithful to Him, even when we see no sign of Him that is when He will not only bless us, but use us for great things. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” - Hebrews 10:35,36.
Well, Zacharias had a hard time believing and because of his unbelief he was cursed to be a mute until the baby was born. “And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.” - Luke 1:20-25.
“And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak” How often do we face affliction for our unbelief, even the strongest, most faithful friends of God have some unbelief sometimes. Miracles, we do not think much about them because they do not seem to happen very much anymore. Miracles still happen, every day, but quite often we overlook them because of the circumstances we are facing. In order to see a miracle, we must first have faith in God, any kind of unbelief, and we can face some affliction just for not believing. And second, stop moping and start doing something for God, faith increases as we serve God. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” - Hebrews 11:6.
The angel Gabriel not only visited Zacharias, he also visited a young woman name Mary, she is going to get the strangest news ever, she was going to have a baby. While she believed that God could do anything, she did wonder how it could be since she never been with any man. “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” - Luke 1:30,31,34-38.
“For thou hast found favour with God.” Many are led to believe that Mary was sinless, this is incorrect, she was not sinless she had God's favor. The word favor means any act of grace or good will, favor is something that God has given to us as an evidence His good will toward our believing in Him. Mary found favor with God because she believed that Jesus would come to save her. Do you think God would allow a woman that did not believe in the long awaited Messiah to carry His only begotten Son? In order to see a miracle, you must believe in Him. “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” - Matthew 21:22.
Elisabeth's miracle was about to be born, and the curse upon Zacharias would be removed. “Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.” - Luke 1:57-64.
“His tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.” The first thing Zacharias did when he could speak was praise God, and not only that he spoke God's Word to the people. “And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” - Luke 1:67,68,71-73,77-79.
“To give light to them that sit in darkness” Jesus truly is the light in the dark. I tell you, sometimes it can be hard to see anything let alone a miracle we get darkened by our circumstances, they literally block any kind of hope that we have. There are times when all we see is darkness, but did you ever just sit in the dark, eventually a glimpse of light will show up, that is Jesus. He is our guide, our hope, and even when we don't understand, the tender mercies of God will light our paths and give us peace. “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” - Romans 8:24-26.
Today's Prayer: God, I know that You are still in the miracle making business, I know this because You have made a miracle in me. I know that You are not done with me yet, and that You still want to show me some miracles, but my unbelief keeps me from seeing them. Lord, help my unbelief, fill me with Your power, remove the fears and doubts in my head, and replace them with confidence, and hope that You will continue Your work in me. Use me as You will, and guide me in the direction that You want me to be in, let me be a miracle for someone. In Jesus' name, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To KJB Daily Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Do You Know For Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Chapters: Luke 1 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-294.html
Message Title: Friend Of God
Hello My Friend,
The Gospel of Luke is the forty-second book of the Bible, the third book of the New Testament, the third book of the Gospels of Christ, and contains twenty-four chapters. The author of this Gospel is Luke and it was first aimed at reaching the Greeks, whom Jesus is presented as the perfect man. The timeline for these events took place approximately between 4BC and 33 AD. The purpose of this Gospel was to give an orderly account of Jesus from birth to show that He is the promised Messiah, and give an account to the Scriptures regarding John the Baptist. What we are to learn from the book is that our mission is to reach the lost with the good news of the Gospel and to realize that nothing is impossible for God. “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” - Luke 1:37.
Luke is called by Paul, the beloved physician, he often traveled with Paul throughout his ministry, he treasured the words that Jesus spoke, as well as everything else that concerned the Saviour's life. Luke begins his rendition of the Gospel with a declaration. “Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.” - Luke 1:1-4
“To write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus” Theophilus, friend of God. This Gospel is not addressed a specific person, but a group of people, those who are friends of God. These are those who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as their Saviour by faith in believing the Scriptures. We need to get a little idea of what is taking place here, this is a time when there were no prophets so, anyone who believed in and followed God did so like we do today, they read the Scriptures, and walked by them. We learn of man named Zacharias and his wife, Elisabeth.
“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.” - Luke 1:5-7,11-13.
“Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard” We may not see God in the flesh and it may even appear that He does not hear our pleas and cries to Him, but He listens to every single word we have to say to Him. When we are faithful to Him, even when we see no sign of Him that is when He will not only bless us, but use us for great things. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” - Hebrews 10:35,36.
Well, Zacharias had a hard time believing and because of his unbelief he was cursed to be a mute until the baby was born. “And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.” - Luke 1:20-25.
“And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak” How often do we face affliction for our unbelief, even the strongest, most faithful friends of God have some unbelief sometimes. Miracles, we do not think much about them because they do not seem to happen very much anymore. Miracles still happen, every day, but quite often we overlook them because of the circumstances we are facing. In order to see a miracle, we must first have faith in God, any kind of unbelief, and we can face some affliction just for not believing. And second, stop moping and start doing something for God, faith increases as we serve God. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” - Hebrews 11:6.
The angel Gabriel not only visited Zacharias, he also visited a young woman name Mary, she is going to get the strangest news ever, she was going to have a baby. While she believed that God could do anything, she did wonder how it could be since she never been with any man. “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” - Luke 1:30,31,34-38.
“For thou hast found favour with God.” Many are led to believe that Mary was sinless, this is incorrect, she was not sinless she had God's favor. The word favor means any act of grace or good will, favor is something that God has given to us as an evidence His good will toward our believing in Him. Mary found favor with God because she believed that Jesus would come to save her. Do you think God would allow a woman that did not believe in the long awaited Messiah to carry His only begotten Son? In order to see a miracle, you must believe in Him. “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” - Matthew 21:22.
Elisabeth's miracle was about to be born, and the curse upon Zacharias would be removed. “Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.” - Luke 1:57-64.
“His tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.” The first thing Zacharias did when he could speak was praise God, and not only that he spoke God's Word to the people. “And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” - Luke 1:67,68,71-73,77-79.
“To give light to them that sit in darkness” Jesus truly is the light in the dark. I tell you, sometimes it can be hard to see anything let alone a miracle we get darkened by our circumstances, they literally block any kind of hope that we have. There are times when all we see is darkness, but did you ever just sit in the dark, eventually a glimpse of light will show up, that is Jesus. He is our guide, our hope, and even when we don't understand, the tender mercies of God will light our paths and give us peace. “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” - Romans 8:24-26.
Today's Prayer: God, I know that You are still in the miracle making business, I know this because You have made a miracle in me. I know that You are not done with me yet, and that You still want to show me some miracles, but my unbelief keeps me from seeing them. Lord, help my unbelief, fill me with Your power, remove the fears and doubts in my head, and replace them with confidence, and hope that You will continue Your work in me. Use me as You will, and guide me in the direction that You want me to be in, let me be a miracle for someone. In Jesus' name, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To KJB Daily Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Do You Know For Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
At The Cross
King James Bible Daily Devotion –
Learning Scripture One
Day At A Time
Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Chapters: Mark 15-16 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-293.html
Message Title: At The Cross
Hello My Friend,
“Alas and did Saviour bleed and did my Sovereign die, Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I.
At the cross at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day.” - First verse of At The Cross
There is no better feeling than to get saved, perhaps second to that is being baptized after you are saved as you are professing your faith and acceptance of Christ alone as your Saviour. Does getting saved mean that all our troubles will be over? No. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. However, if we are saved and walk with Christ they will be easier to endure. A Christians life should be devoted to Christ no matter what they are facing, showing their professed faith and love to Him and not our circumstances. While our salvation is not based on our works, the things we do after we are saved are. “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” - John 5:28,29.
Crucify, to put to death by nailing the hands and feet to a cross. If you ever held you arms straight up for a long period of time you can get a bit of an idea of how weak Jesus was when He was nailed to the cross that He bared for the sins of all mankind. Many watched as Jesus was crucified, some with deep sorrow, some to see if He would do something miraculous, and yet others were pleased to see Him die. “And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.” - Mark 15:222-25,29-32.
“Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross,” At anytime Jesus could have come down from that cross, there were two reasons why He did not. One, He was there to finish the job He came here to do, and that was to be the sinless atonement sacrifice that would give permanent redemption to every soul who believes in Him. And two, they would not have believed anyway, these people saw Jesus producing miracles every day and they still did not believe in Him. As Christians we are going to be mocked for our faith, we are going to be tried, and even persecuted, but we cannot let them stop us from doing what God calls us to do. “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” - 1 Peter 4:14-16.
Three days later Mary Magdalene, and several other woman went to the tomb to anoint Jesus, they arrived to find the stone rolled away, and an angel sitting in the tomb, telling them that Jesus had risen. “And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.” - Mark 16:1-6.
“Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen” Jesus could have just died for us and that would have been enough, but He wanted more than that, He wanted to break the curse that the devil caused upon man when he brought sin into the world. Jesus resurrecting proves that even death cannot separate a saved soul from God. One day, everyone will resurrect, those who are saved will be first, they will get their new eternal bodies and the rewards awaiting them, those who are not saved will be cast into lake of fire. “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” - Revelation 21:7,8.
Jesus shows Himself first to many, but when the disciples heard that Jesus was alive, they did not believe it, Jesus shows up and fusses at them for their unbelief. “And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” - Mark 16:11-16.
“And upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart” When we are facing trials we can forget the promises that Jesus makes us. We can expect Him to fuss at us for our temporary unbelief and hardness of our heart. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” This does not mean that you must accept Christ and be baptized to be saved, it means you must believe to be saved. Being baptized is a public profession of your faith in Christ, declaring that you are trusting only Him to save you. He continues to say, “but he that believeth not shall be damned.” It does not say, he that believeth not and is not baptized will be damned, only he that believeth not shall be damned.
“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” -Romans 6:4,5,9-11.
Today's Prayer: Jesus, Thank You again for the great sacrifice that You made. You did not have to die, You could have chosen any other way to redeem me, or You could have chosen not to do anything at all and leave me trying to weigh my good and bad to see if I have a chance to be saved. You endured the cross, You took my place, You took the punishment that I deserved, You took all my sins to the cross with You. Now, I have my own cross to bare, and I know I can't do it alone, I need You or I will fall. Lord, I am alive through You, lead me and guide me, help me to walk with You. Let me not become blinded by my circumstances and harden my heart by any unbelief.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To KJB Daily Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Do You Know For Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Chapters: Mark 15-16 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-293.html
Message Title: At The Cross
Hello My Friend,
“Alas and did Saviour bleed and did my Sovereign die, Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I.
At the cross at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day.” - First verse of At The Cross
There is no better feeling than to get saved, perhaps second to that is being baptized after you are saved as you are professing your faith and acceptance of Christ alone as your Saviour. Does getting saved mean that all our troubles will be over? No. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. However, if we are saved and walk with Christ they will be easier to endure. A Christians life should be devoted to Christ no matter what they are facing, showing their professed faith and love to Him and not our circumstances. While our salvation is not based on our works, the things we do after we are saved are. “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” - John 5:28,29.
Crucify, to put to death by nailing the hands and feet to a cross. If you ever held you arms straight up for a long period of time you can get a bit of an idea of how weak Jesus was when He was nailed to the cross that He bared for the sins of all mankind. Many watched as Jesus was crucified, some with deep sorrow, some to see if He would do something miraculous, and yet others were pleased to see Him die. “And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.” - Mark 15:222-25,29-32.
“Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross,” At anytime Jesus could have come down from that cross, there were two reasons why He did not. One, He was there to finish the job He came here to do, and that was to be the sinless atonement sacrifice that would give permanent redemption to every soul who believes in Him. And two, they would not have believed anyway, these people saw Jesus producing miracles every day and they still did not believe in Him. As Christians we are going to be mocked for our faith, we are going to be tried, and even persecuted, but we cannot let them stop us from doing what God calls us to do. “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” - 1 Peter 4:14-16.
Three days later Mary Magdalene, and several other woman went to the tomb to anoint Jesus, they arrived to find the stone rolled away, and an angel sitting in the tomb, telling them that Jesus had risen. “And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.” - Mark 16:1-6.
“Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen” Jesus could have just died for us and that would have been enough, but He wanted more than that, He wanted to break the curse that the devil caused upon man when he brought sin into the world. Jesus resurrecting proves that even death cannot separate a saved soul from God. One day, everyone will resurrect, those who are saved will be first, they will get their new eternal bodies and the rewards awaiting them, those who are not saved will be cast into lake of fire. “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” - Revelation 21:7,8.
Jesus shows Himself first to many, but when the disciples heard that Jesus was alive, they did not believe it, Jesus shows up and fusses at them for their unbelief. “And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” - Mark 16:11-16.
“And upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart” When we are facing trials we can forget the promises that Jesus makes us. We can expect Him to fuss at us for our temporary unbelief and hardness of our heart. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” This does not mean that you must accept Christ and be baptized to be saved, it means you must believe to be saved. Being baptized is a public profession of your faith in Christ, declaring that you are trusting only Him to save you. He continues to say, “but he that believeth not shall be damned.” It does not say, he that believeth not and is not baptized will be damned, only he that believeth not shall be damned.
“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” -Romans 6:4,5,9-11.
Today's Prayer: Jesus, Thank You again for the great sacrifice that You made. You did not have to die, You could have chosen any other way to redeem me, or You could have chosen not to do anything at all and leave me trying to weigh my good and bad to see if I have a chance to be saved. You endured the cross, You took my place, You took the punishment that I deserved, You took all my sins to the cross with You. Now, I have my own cross to bare, and I know I can't do it alone, I need You or I will fall. Lord, I am alive through You, lead me and guide me, help me to walk with You. Let me not become blinded by my circumstances and harden my heart by any unbelief.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To KJB Daily Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Do You Know For Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Keep Watching For Jesus
King James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning
Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Monday, October 19, 2015
Chapters: Mark 13-14 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-292.html
Message Title: Keep Watching For Jesus
Hello My Friend,
Sacrifice, surrender something of value for the purpose of gaining something more desirable or preventing some kind of evil. Since God is the God of the living, we are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to Him. In other words we are to take the most valuable thing that we have, life, and give it to Him. No, we are not to die for God, we are to give our lives for the purpose of gaining something more desirable, the Kingdom of God. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” - Romans 12:1,2.
The news that Jesus gave in the temple about destroying the temple in three days had left many people with questions, including His disciples. As they walk out of the temple, they wondered when it would happen, and of course, Jesus was referring to His own body as He would be soon captured. However, He does give them some insight to the tribulation and end of the world. He leaves them with one clue, watch. “And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” - Mark 13:20-23,35-37.
“And except that the Lord had shortened those days” Christ could have come already, but He's waiting to give all a chance to know Him. Israel has rejected Him and still today they suffer, but there will come a time when they too will finally accept Him, and a remnant will be saved. The tribulation is coming quicker than we think, in fact, many things are coming to pass as we speak. Religious apostasy, wars, rumors of wars, fighting among nations, and natural disasters, these are all signs that the tribulation is fast approaching. We must be prepared, and the best way is being that living sacrifice we need to be so we are ready and alert for His coming. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” - 2 Peter 3:9,10.
Being a living sacrifice for God is not about following a set of rules, keeping ourselves locked up in a corner, or not enjoying the life that He gave us, it's about the new life that Christ gives as we conform to Him, not the world. We must never forget the sacrifice He made to save us from a burning, fiery hell, He didn't just give His life, He was beaten and maimed for our sins, not His. As the time fast approaches for Jesus to be betrayed, He gathers His disciples for one last passover feast. As Jesus blessed the food, He did something else. “And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.” - Mark 14:22-26.
“This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.” Jesus appointed the Lord's Supper to be a reminder and memorial of His blood, that was shed for establishing His new covenant, in which all who believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus shed His blood for all, but He only saves those who believe in and receive Him. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” - Hebrews 9:27,28.
When Jesus knew the hour was coming for Him to give His life He went to pray. He knew what had to be done, but He was sorrowful and weary since He was here in the flesh. “And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.” - Mark 14:33-38.
“Couldest not thou watch one hour?” When we take our eyes off Jesus even for a second that is when the devil comes and temptation begins. The flesh is weak, we get tired, weary, scared, lonely, and unless we are walking in the Spirit of God the flesh will take over and that is how we not only lose sight of Jesus, but fall into temptation. “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” - Galatians 5:16-18.
Today's Prayer: Jesus, I will never forget the state I was in before I truly understood what Your death on the cross meant. You not only saved me from the pits of hell and death, You saved me from the life I was living, a life that was quickly bringing me to death myself. Lord, I want to be a living sacrifice for You, I want to be a witness and example of the amazing life that all can have by accepting You as their Saviour. I know my flesh is weak, I have failed so much when I was weary and stopped watching You, but You are always there to pick me up and get me going again. Lord, keep my eyes on You, when I am weak keep me praying so the devil has no cause to tempt me. In You name, Jesus I pray, amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To KJB Daily Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Do You Know For Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Date: Monday, October 19, 2015
Chapters: Mark 13-14 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-292.html
Message Title: Keep Watching For Jesus
Hello My Friend,
Sacrifice, surrender something of value for the purpose of gaining something more desirable or preventing some kind of evil. Since God is the God of the living, we are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to Him. In other words we are to take the most valuable thing that we have, life, and give it to Him. No, we are not to die for God, we are to give our lives for the purpose of gaining something more desirable, the Kingdom of God. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” - Romans 12:1,2.
The news that Jesus gave in the temple about destroying the temple in three days had left many people with questions, including His disciples. As they walk out of the temple, they wondered when it would happen, and of course, Jesus was referring to His own body as He would be soon captured. However, He does give them some insight to the tribulation and end of the world. He leaves them with one clue, watch. “And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” - Mark 13:20-23,35-37.
“And except that the Lord had shortened those days” Christ could have come already, but He's waiting to give all a chance to know Him. Israel has rejected Him and still today they suffer, but there will come a time when they too will finally accept Him, and a remnant will be saved. The tribulation is coming quicker than we think, in fact, many things are coming to pass as we speak. Religious apostasy, wars, rumors of wars, fighting among nations, and natural disasters, these are all signs that the tribulation is fast approaching. We must be prepared, and the best way is being that living sacrifice we need to be so we are ready and alert for His coming. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” - 2 Peter 3:9,10.
Being a living sacrifice for God is not about following a set of rules, keeping ourselves locked up in a corner, or not enjoying the life that He gave us, it's about the new life that Christ gives as we conform to Him, not the world. We must never forget the sacrifice He made to save us from a burning, fiery hell, He didn't just give His life, He was beaten and maimed for our sins, not His. As the time fast approaches for Jesus to be betrayed, He gathers His disciples for one last passover feast. As Jesus blessed the food, He did something else. “And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.” - Mark 14:22-26.
“This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.” Jesus appointed the Lord's Supper to be a reminder and memorial of His blood, that was shed for establishing His new covenant, in which all who believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus shed His blood for all, but He only saves those who believe in and receive Him. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” - Hebrews 9:27,28.
When Jesus knew the hour was coming for Him to give His life He went to pray. He knew what had to be done, but He was sorrowful and weary since He was here in the flesh. “And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.” - Mark 14:33-38.
“Couldest not thou watch one hour?” When we take our eyes off Jesus even for a second that is when the devil comes and temptation begins. The flesh is weak, we get tired, weary, scared, lonely, and unless we are walking in the Spirit of God the flesh will take over and that is how we not only lose sight of Jesus, but fall into temptation. “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” - Galatians 5:16-18.
Today's Prayer: Jesus, I will never forget the state I was in before I truly understood what Your death on the cross meant. You not only saved me from the pits of hell and death, You saved me from the life I was living, a life that was quickly bringing me to death myself. Lord, I want to be a living sacrifice for You, I want to be a witness and example of the amazing life that all can have by accepting You as their Saviour. I know my flesh is weak, I have failed so much when I was weary and stopped watching You, but You are always there to pick me up and get me going again. Lord, keep my eyes on You, when I am weak keep me praying so the devil has no cause to tempt me. In You name, Jesus I pray, amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To KJB Daily Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Do You Know For Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Studying God's Word
King
James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning
Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2015
Chapters: Mark 11-12 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-291.html
Message Title: Studying God's Word
Hello My Friend,
As Christians it is important to read and study all of God's Word, it amazes me whenever a person tells me that the Old Testament is not significant for us today. You know, the New Testament is a reflection of the Old, Jesus often quoted from the Old. It is important that we know all the Scriptures so we can know His will. While we are not bound by many of the laws that were given through Moses, the same principles still apply. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” - 2 Timothy 3:16.
The time had come for Jesus to go into Jerusalem, He instructed a couple of His disciples to get a donkey. “And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.” - Mark 11:7-11.
“Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” Hosanna means, save now. While they were all crying save us, soon they will be crying crucify Him. Jesus, in accordance with the Scriptures, presented Himself as King and Saviour, He came seeking the fruit of Israel and warned them of their doom knowing that they would be rejecting Him shortly. Christ's coming into Jerusalem riding on a donkey remarkably shows that He was not afraid of the power and malice of His enemies and that He came in peace. Jesus is still King, it will do nothing for us to have received His doctrine, unless we have taken His yoke. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30.
Jesus was hungry so He went up to a fig tree to get some fruit, although harvest was come yet, there was only leaves on the tree, no sign of fruit. He made the fig tree an example, not to the trees, but to the men. It was a figure of the doom upon the Jewish church, to which He came seeking fruit, but found none. He cursed the tree that it would be barren and the next morning when they returned the tree has withered. “And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” - Mark 11:21-26.
“Shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass;” How often do we pray to God not really expecting the things we are asking. We do not like to admit it, but we pray by sight, not faith, so, we are looking at the present circumstances and not our God. When we pray we must do two things, come to God believing and forgive, meaning seek forgiveness from our sins and be forgiving to others. We are all sinners saved by the grace of God, we are work in progress, no that does not excuse sinful behavior, but it does mean that none of us are perfect and have done something. It takes the strength of God to forgive those who have wronged us, it's not easy, but necessary for us to move on and find peace. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” - Ephesians 4:30-32.
The Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducee's were very religious, but they were determined to destroy Jesus. Why? They did not want anyone proving them the liars that they were and would do anything necessary to keep the truth from being revealed. They thought themselves to be righteous and God fearing, but the reality of it was they made up their own religion. Instead of studying the Scriptures and learning the truth they did what they learned by bits and pieces of what they heard of God's Word and Jewish traditions. The Jews thought that their Messiah would come with full force as a mighty king, but Jesus was meek and mild, a carpenters son from the lineage of David they believed. Jesus calls them out for who they were, reminding them that even David knew who He was.
“And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.” - Mark 12:35-40.
“Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing,” False religion gives man all the glory. Think about this, the pope, how many people worship him? We are to worship God only, not man. False religion is what destroys who God really is, piece by piece they remove His truth and create their own image of who He. When we get in God's Word and read what it declares about Christ we shall be led to confess Him as our Lord and God. If the common people gladly hear these things while the religious want to destroy Him, what is to come of them? Destruction upon themselves. While God is not a respecter of persons, and all sin leads to death, some sin is a complete abomination to Him and will receive a greater punishment before they even face Him for judgment.
“It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” - 2 Timothy 2:11-16.
Today's Prayer: God, You have given us the greatest example of living in Your will in the person of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Others in this world may earn titles and win prizes for worldly pursuits, but the greatest prize I will ever obtain is serving You is getting to see You face to face. And amazingly, it is not because I earned it, but because I put my faith and trust in Christ. Thank You for all that You do. Lead me and guide me, keep me in Your Word, studying and living in You will, help me to always love You with my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Let me be forgiving to those who wronged me so I can be blessed even more. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To Our Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Do You Know For Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2015
Chapters: Mark 11-12 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-291.html
Message Title: Studying God's Word
Hello My Friend,
As Christians it is important to read and study all of God's Word, it amazes me whenever a person tells me that the Old Testament is not significant for us today. You know, the New Testament is a reflection of the Old, Jesus often quoted from the Old. It is important that we know all the Scriptures so we can know His will. While we are not bound by many of the laws that were given through Moses, the same principles still apply. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” - 2 Timothy 3:16.
The time had come for Jesus to go into Jerusalem, He instructed a couple of His disciples to get a donkey. “And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.” - Mark 11:7-11.
“Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” Hosanna means, save now. While they were all crying save us, soon they will be crying crucify Him. Jesus, in accordance with the Scriptures, presented Himself as King and Saviour, He came seeking the fruit of Israel and warned them of their doom knowing that they would be rejecting Him shortly. Christ's coming into Jerusalem riding on a donkey remarkably shows that He was not afraid of the power and malice of His enemies and that He came in peace. Jesus is still King, it will do nothing for us to have received His doctrine, unless we have taken His yoke. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30.
Jesus was hungry so He went up to a fig tree to get some fruit, although harvest was come yet, there was only leaves on the tree, no sign of fruit. He made the fig tree an example, not to the trees, but to the men. It was a figure of the doom upon the Jewish church, to which He came seeking fruit, but found none. He cursed the tree that it would be barren and the next morning when they returned the tree has withered. “And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” - Mark 11:21-26.
“Shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass;” How often do we pray to God not really expecting the things we are asking. We do not like to admit it, but we pray by sight, not faith, so, we are looking at the present circumstances and not our God. When we pray we must do two things, come to God believing and forgive, meaning seek forgiveness from our sins and be forgiving to others. We are all sinners saved by the grace of God, we are work in progress, no that does not excuse sinful behavior, but it does mean that none of us are perfect and have done something. It takes the strength of God to forgive those who have wronged us, it's not easy, but necessary for us to move on and find peace. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” - Ephesians 4:30-32.
The Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducee's were very religious, but they were determined to destroy Jesus. Why? They did not want anyone proving them the liars that they were and would do anything necessary to keep the truth from being revealed. They thought themselves to be righteous and God fearing, but the reality of it was they made up their own religion. Instead of studying the Scriptures and learning the truth they did what they learned by bits and pieces of what they heard of God's Word and Jewish traditions. The Jews thought that their Messiah would come with full force as a mighty king, but Jesus was meek and mild, a carpenters son from the lineage of David they believed. Jesus calls them out for who they were, reminding them that even David knew who He was.
“And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.” - Mark 12:35-40.
“Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing,” False religion gives man all the glory. Think about this, the pope, how many people worship him? We are to worship God only, not man. False religion is what destroys who God really is, piece by piece they remove His truth and create their own image of who He. When we get in God's Word and read what it declares about Christ we shall be led to confess Him as our Lord and God. If the common people gladly hear these things while the religious want to destroy Him, what is to come of them? Destruction upon themselves. While God is not a respecter of persons, and all sin leads to death, some sin is a complete abomination to Him and will receive a greater punishment before they even face Him for judgment.
“It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” - 2 Timothy 2:11-16.
Today's Prayer: God, You have given us the greatest example of living in Your will in the person of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Others in this world may earn titles and win prizes for worldly pursuits, but the greatest prize I will ever obtain is serving You is getting to see You face to face. And amazingly, it is not because I earned it, but because I put my faith and trust in Christ. Thank You for all that You do. Lead me and guide me, keep me in Your Word, studying and living in You will, help me to always love You with my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Let me be forgiving to those who wronged me so I can be blessed even more. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To Our Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Do You Know For Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)