I experience God’s endless grace every day of my life. In the small moments when I get mad over stupid things and in the big moments, too. I am struggling to be less selfish and pray for that. I try to be there for others and not be so caught up in what I want to do always. I make progress, but it’s slow.
I am grateful to God for His grace and forgiveness. In fact, I couldn’t live without it.
I love the lesson of fighting with prayer!
We’d all be better off is we trusted God to fight for us, rather than us trying to do it ourselves, especially in situations where we have no individual power, such as world events and overwhelming problems like human trafficking and poverty. We have no power in and of ourselves.
So, my prayer is to remember to pray! In every situation, no matter how small we may think it is. If it’s important to us, then it’s important to God. To set my eyes on God first.
God has faithfully provided everything. While I may not recognize it at the time, it is Him always.
I need His gentle prodding and encouraging as I strive for my life’s dreams via His prompting.
I also need to hear His gentle voice in our next move to where He wants us that is best for all of our family. We need to hear Him for investment opportunities and for the economy, too. I pray for His provision always.
I think my concerns are similar to all of ours. We are concerned about the recession and how bad it will hit our pocketbooks. We are concerned about the world we are sending our children into. We are concerned about our jobs and careers, and if it is His will.
God moves by moving me where He wants me for the time period. I do want to move to some place warmer, but now is not the time. It’s patience. again.
I pray for faith for His timing in my life and that His will calms and soothes my anxieties.
I think many of us pray thinking of God as far away. Instead, as in this BSF devotional, God is accessible. You should think of Him as right in the room across the table from you as you speak.
I can pray differently by remembering God is there always, listening to my pleas, my cries, my frustrations, my struggles, and my victories. Pray to God as a Father. That is all He asks of us.
God has been faithful my whole life, even if I did not recognize it or chose not to recognize it because it was not what I wanted.
I would like God to continue to be faithful in a shaky world and continue to guide me to do His work through my dreams, which I believe are from Him.
I also need God to be faithful for and with my family in their dreams and His purpose for their lives.
Hey all!
Are you as excited as I am about BSF’s study People of the Promise: Kingdom United?
There is always something special about a brand new study that Bible Study Fellowship embarks on.
One great way to prepare for this study is to engage in BSF’s special devotional developed with this study in mind. I encourage you to download the study and try it for yourself before you begin. It’s a great introduction and way to prepare.
                              DOWNLOAD HERE
And, BSF has included their list of God’s attributes.
I will be posting my thoughts on this special devotional beginning next Monday, so stay tuned!
Jesus calls believers the salt of the earth, but we must maintain our salt or we will be lost.
Jesus calls believers the light of the world, and like a city on the hill, your light cannot be hidden. Let your light shine as a testament to God so that others may come to know him.
15a) Salt in the ancient world was mainly used for preserving food since refrigeration did not exist, and it was used to make food taste good. Salt is a necessity to the human body and its functions. It is essential for nerves and muscle function, as well as the regulation of fluids within our bodies. You will see animals lick salt because they need it, too. Salt also heals wounds. Its chemical composition, sodium chloride, forces liquid (and the bacteria in the liquid) out of the body, speeding healing. It has many uses outside of this. Great salt history HERE and HERE
b) There are many thoughts from Bible scholars about being the salt of the earth. Some think we are to preserve the world from evil, to enhance the flavor of the world, or to stop the decay in the world — to stop sin’s power to destroy our lives. Great reads HERE and HERE
16a) At its core, light illuminates. We cannot see anything without light. It opens our minds to what is there.
b) Christians are to illuminate or make visible Christ. Our good works are to shine for all to see. We are to be the light, the TRUTH, in a dark world. In Philippians 2:15, the apostle Paul says, “Believers, you are to shine as light in the world.” To be a beacon to bring others to the light.
17) We cannot bring God’s word to others and banish evil without living out God’s word. Our lives bring others to Christ, not our words. By being humble and showing mercy, as well as seeking God to be better every day, we will bring others to Christ.
I love this! I love the analogies, and I love the history! The best thing you and I can do for others is to be Christ-like. We flavor the earth with our actions and our words, we heal the earth, and we shine God’s truth everywhere we go.
Here’s a cool salt and light bible devotional I found!
Salt is precious, it preserves, and it adds flavor to the world. Christians do the same. Do not lose your saltiness, or you become useless to others. Salt also heals. Your actions and words can heal a broken soul.
Jesus is the ultimate light of the world (John 8:12 and John 9:5). We are now responsible for preventing decay and shining biblical truth in the world. This also means we are to get out in the world in order to shine.
Our light should be visible to others, like a city in the distance. We are to shine brightly for Jesus. The lampstand is intentionally placed there, as should our light be intentionally shined. Our good works will shine bright and bring others to Jesus. Let others see God in you.
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