Devotion

Nothing to prove…

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” -Romans 12:2 We live in a time in which so many of us feel bound to the expectations and the demands of others. We carry with us a heavy yoke of having to prove ourselves, even prove ourselves to people that don’t like us, or even to those who hate us. We care so much about what people say about us and think about us. We are consumed with giving off the right image so that we will be respected, admired, seen as attractive, or wanted. Jesus simply frees us, if we allow him to, from this very, very heavy burden that leads to the greatest regret of every single dying person,

Read More »

Being true…

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -Words of Jesus, John 16:33 Living humbly in the shadow of the cross of Christ, which is a reflection of God’s great love for you, means we don’t have to prove ourselves to anybody, ever. You don’t have to prove anything – not to me and not to God because of the cross. God has called us into the easy yoke of Jesus. We can live humbly in this life, and not carry that very, very heavy burden of trying to get people to like us and respect us. A nurse from Australia named Bonnie Ware, who spent her career working with dying people, decided to journal what these dying people regretted in the last days of their lives: Number five

Read More »

No or yes…

“Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear – not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ Otherwise you will be condemned.” -James 5:12 Jesus is omnipresent through those of us who believe. In other words, we put skin on God. That doesn’t mean we’re God or that we’re perfect. We’re going to make all our same mistakes, right? We’re going to age, we’re going to sin, we’re going to mess up, and we’re going to trip and fall. Yet, still within us, alongside our spirit is the Holy Spirit that makes Jesus present everywhere we go. Therefore, we always want God to break open the clouds and reveal himself to us. It may be by just saying, “Hello, I’m here.” Or, by revealing himself in our dreams. Or, maybe he’ll do the burning bush thing again;

Read More »

Either side of you…

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” -1 John 4:16  Within every single human being is this passion, this Eros, this fire, this desire. And, when the Holy Spirit comes into your life, it comes alongside your spirit or your will, and guides that fire within you so that it becomes life giving. In other words, because of the Holy Spirit, Jesus becomes present through the whole Church. That means that, in a weird way, Jesus is sitting right next to you in that pew right now. Did you know that? Right now. Not in the same way that he was back then, but because the Holy Spirit dwells in believers on either side of you, Jesus is made present in you and next to you. Though most people don’t have the

Read More »

Love in action in 2016…

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing…And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” -1 Corinthians 13:2,13 It’s love that’s going to carry us through 2016. And, it’s love in action that will help bring others closer to God during this New Year. Paul, the apostle of love, shared with us the best description of the love we ought to have for one another. He emphasized that love is paramount, the most important thing, the thing that transcends every moral code, higher than any claim that anyone makes. And, without love, nothing matters. People may say about love, “I get this feeling in my heart and I nurture it. Then, if it blossoms enough, I will

Read More »

Receive your daily eDevotional

Don't miss new updates in your email!