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Nah……I’m good.

Nah……I’m good.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

I will openly admit to my greatest sin, my greatest struggle, my sin of covetousness. I have always had the attitude that I could have anything that I wanted, if I wanted it bad enough. There came a time of financial means that it seemingly was possible; I am literally still paying for those mistakes. The ESV version of the Bible limits this scripture to money, but covetousness is the internal desire for something we do not possess; desiring that which is not our own, and it is far from limited to money. Most likely we all covet, but it is a hidden sin until Satan wins a battle in the pursuit of it. This morning I had a prayer of thanksgiving before I continued to read in Hebrews and found myself here; a direct word from God to answer my prayers. Thank you Jesus.

Pastor Alan’s sermon yesterday spoke of our testimony; our lives before and after answering Christ’s call upon our hearts. Mine is a testimony woven in pride, the pursuit of all things that I coveted. Of how God humbled me through my son, of how God humbled me in my finances, of how God humbled me physically in my shoulder; of how God showed me that He is all I must desire. My life changed when I made the conscious effort to spend time with God every day as a result of that calling He was placing on my heart. Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. That scripture is the focus of my life; the internal desire to share it with you; the power of the life changing message that is woven in the effort of that pursuit of God every day. All of your problems will be answered with that pursuit, for you will see the answers of God in your life through it.

There comes a point in your life that you realize you need help. That point in your life is many times seemingly at the bottom; for we rest in our pride when we are at the top. God lets us go down the road to the bottom, for then we only can look up. He does his greatest work there, and our testimonies of his work there are what He uses to encourage others there now. When the Gospel of Christ comes into your life, it brings a change in your life and your desires. You will not become a perfect person; you will still struggle in many of the same ways, but you will come to realize the power of Christ in the answer to these struggles. Hebrews 13:6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” When you come to realize that you have eternity secured through Christ; the troubles of the current situations in temporal life will have less power. The depth of that understanding is measured by the depth of your daily pursuit of Christ, and the power found in it.

 
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Posted by on February 11, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Woven

Woven

John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

The parable of John 15 is that of the vine. It speaks of the relationship between the vinedresser (gardener), the vine, and the branch. God is the vinedresser, Christ is the vine, and we are the branch. The verb abide is found 10 times in this parable. What is ‘to abide’ – to remain stable or fixed in a state (Websters). I have also read it in study described as a ‘state of being’, or to stay, or to sink in. But how can we abide in Christ? That word being a verb requires an action correct? That action is found in verse 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. The way to abide is action of obeying.

That action is found in the pursuit of God and the things of God, through prayer and His Word. His Word will begin to shed light into your life, and as your relationship begins to grow you will begin to understand His Will for your life. It is not a life of limitations, but a freedom from the bondages you have endured until He came into your life. God is glorified through you and your changed life because of the testament to others of that freedom and change by following His Word and His Will for your life. Your life will produce fruit as a result of His work through you.  8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

A disciple is a big scary word to some. Your heart has the ability to become a disciple, through the pursuit and abiding in Christ. When you set your heart to follow God, to truly draw near and make a change through the lens of the gospel of Christ, your life will never be the same. It will become a testament to the power of God, the glory of God, and you will truly want to share with others what He has done for you. A disciple simply lives a life of obedience of God’s Will and commandments in a pursuit of that relationship. The fruit is a byproduct of God’s work in their lives. Abiding is clinging to the Vine, and letting the vinedresser direct your path in life. That branch that is intertwined with that vine is your life as a person abiding in Christ.

 
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Posted by on July 31, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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