Devotions

A REVOLUTION . So I'm reading a book on grace, and believe it or not I'm beginning to find that Christians have a really skewed view of one of the most important aspects of our faith-- grace. So I'm going to try and give people, and myself, a better understanding of the amazing gift God has given. I was most confused when I read the Old Testament, because it was before Christ, and before grace had changed forever. I believe the author when he said that grace was existing since the beginning of time, that God cared about us SO much that He give us food, friends, and gave us authority over all He created. He specifically made sure everything He made was good-- not for His own gain but because He loved us that much. Humans did nothing to please Him in the beginning, we were just-- there, temporarily following His commands. And then we even disobeyed God, and He still let us live and increase in number... think about it: God created the world so perfectly and cared abo...

ARMOR OF GOD Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God , so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace . In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith , with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit , which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17 NIV Sometimes, I'll be completely...

GIRL VS. WORLD. I like the ring of this title. Hmm... So I often see the way the world is running, and look at the lives of non-believers and wonder WHY the heck I even have standards. I know it's a very selfish thought, but following Jesus can be hard sometimes, and sometimes I think about what it would be like if I had no guilt or shame for doing things the world claims as completely innocent. I looked in the back of my Bible and the topic of discipline was presented. Spiritual discipline, mental discipline, and discipline of one's actions can set one person apart from another. Two people could look the exact same, dress the same, and talk the same, but the discipline of their very beings is something that seperates the two. The Bible mentions the world many times, how it is set apart from Jesus. Jesus says His kingdom is not of this world: John 18:36 NIV Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest ...

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud... 1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is pretty complex, it has a lot of parts to it. But then again-- it's pretty simple, too! Love all, no matter what the world views them as. Today we're focusing on three aspects of 1st Corinthians 13... love not envying, not boasting, and not being proud. This is especially hard for humans to grasp, because we don't have the right mindset with our blessings. An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” Luke 9:46-48 Believe it or not, all good things are from God. Our family, our house, our job, He blesses us with so much and yet we take all the credit. "Look at my new_____,...

Peace. The image of peace has become a new phenomenon, I've noticed. Peace signs are etched on shirts and hoodies, there are peace bracelets, peace folders and pens and pencils. If people actually wrote peace on their hearts, I feel that the world would be a little closer to what God wants, for us to focus on Him instead of sin. Think about it, when God created the world, He created it perfectly, so Adam and Eve could live with no needs, and wouldn't be distracted from Him. He provided them with all they needed because He cared about them SO much. They were His creation, and His most treasured * creation, at that. But when Adam and Eve sinned, their guilt separated them from the peace and stability of God. They literally hid from Him, and felt shame, for the first time in history. That wasn't God's plan for us. He doesn't want us to sin, but unfortunately, we do anyway. But years later, God sent His one and only Son to die for us, for the forgiveness of our sins. G...