Matthew 26:36-38
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
This is the time in Jesus’ life that leads up to His betrayal and arrest. He knew that the cross was before Him. He came to earth knowing that He was to die for the sins of all people.
When it comes down to the hard choices, knowing your path and walking it out can be very different. Now that the hour was at hand, the Lord needed the strength to see it through. In order to receive what He needed from the Father, Jesus did what He always knew would bring Him an answer. He spent time with God the Father in a private place, far away from any distractions.
This was not to be a time for crowds of people. He even left most of His disciples at the entrance to the garden. The only ones to stay with Him were Peter, James, and John. He would spend the night agonizing over what was ahead.
Let this today be your garden of prayer. God is waiting for you to cry out to Him. Only the Lord can give you the strength you need for the road ahead. Whether you know the dangers or not, let the peace of God rule in you this day. Find your rest in His presence.
Tags: Bible, choices, Christ, Christian, cross, devotion, distractions, encouragement, faith, garden, garden of prayer, Gethsemane, God's will, Jesus Christ, overcoming, prayer, prepare, presence of the lord, problems, solitude, strength, trust
2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?
There are times that we need to test our walk with the Lord. To do that it is best to be alone and quiet. In this age of cell phones, MP3, and DVD players it is hard to have any quiet time at all. I even feel that many people – without Christ – “plug in” for the purpose of not hearing their own heart.
Many people are afraid to examine their inner man. It is probably because they are afraid of what they will find. Please realize that it is a healthy thing to take a long hard look at yourself. You need to see how you measure up to Christ, His calling, how far you have come and the direction in which you are headed.
Re-evaluation is at the heart of a holy walk. It means we are willing to take the occasional course correction when God gets our attention.
Take the time needed today to get a long glimpse of what is going on in your soul. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and insight. Examine your life, dreams and goals in His presence. Then purpose to make the corrections that God offers you. You will be glad that you did.
Tags: Bible, Christian, course correction, devotion, encouragement, examine, faith, heart, holy, Holy Spirit, prepare, presence of the lord, quiet, quiet time, self examination, soul, test, trial
Nehemiah 9:17
They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them.
In this passage, Nehemiah is praying, and remembering why Israel is presently in captivity in a foreign land. Time and time again they refused to listen to the Lord’s leading. They took no time to think and meditate on the many miracles that God performed on their behalf. Instead they had a history of outright rebellion against God’s leadership.
But here is the amazing part – in all that time God remained forgiving, gracious, and compassionate. I’m so glad that our God is not bound to emotional outbursts the way we humans are. Instead of writing them off and giving up on them, God worked with Israel. He tried to draw them in by His love for them.
This is truly a God who is abounding in love. This verse literally says that God has an over abundance of love. That only stands to reason. God is love. God is infinite. Therefore, His love is infinite.
What a comforting thought – God has more than enough love for us. You can personalize that and say that God has more than enough love for you. He will never run out. No one can ever say that they have done so many things wrong that God doesn’t love them any more.
Bask in the warmth of that love today. Let God’s overabundance minister to your soul. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak words of encouragement to your inner man. Be refreshed by this love that passes all understanding.
Tags: abounding in love, Bible, Christian, devotion, encouragement, faith, fellowship, God is love, God's love, Holy Spirit, inner man, love, loving God, miracles, Nehemiah, praise, presence of the lord, rebellion
What does that mean? Should I be afraid of God? Is He watching for any slip so He can zap me?
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is misunderstood by many people. I have talked to Christians who were so very afraid that they would mess up even a little. They think that God is watching them so closely that if they make the smallest mistake, they will be penalized severely.
Fortunately that’s not what it means to walk in the fear of the Lord. The best illustration I ever saw was a show about people who cut diamonds for a living. The show chronicled the diamond from when it went on the auction block to when it’s stones ended up in the fine jewelry shop.
The winning bid was about 3 million dollars for this large diamond. The jeweler was sure that he could more than triple the value by the way he cut it up into smaller stones. What happened next surprised me. I expected him to immediately begin the process of cutting the diamond. Instead, he took the first three months to simply study the diamond. He basically stared at the diamond for hours a day, making notes, drawings, and plans for the cuttings he would perform. With a stone that valuable, he didn’t want to do anything that would ruin it.
That is a picture of the fear of the Lord. I am not afraid that God is going to get upset at me and hurt me. On the contrary, my relationship with God is so important to me that I fear anything coming to disrupt it. It is so valuable to me that I don’t want to ruin it. I want to walk before God in such a way that our fellowship grows daily.
Cultivate a true fear of the Lord. Meditate upon how valuable it is to be in relationship with Him. Then let that attitude motivate you to live a reverent life before Him.
© Nick Zaccardi 2012
Tags: afraid, Bible, Christian, devotion, diamond, faith, fear, fear of the Lord, fellowship, God's faithfulness, God's will, growth, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, prepare, presence of the lord, relationship, reverent, valuable, value
John 1:12-13
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
I can’t think of a greater blessing! We can be children of God.
This is not for everybody. You have to want it. It comes by faith in God and what He has done through Christ. It has to be received, if we believe in His provision for us on the cross. If Jesus Christ is our Savior, then we are God’s children.
Some people look at themselves as slaves of God. Then they get the attitude that it is hard to work for Him. They have an angry look on their face and act like serving God is the worst thing you could do.
Now I do admit that children are supposed to obey their parents. In that sense we must “serve” God. I know that on more than one occasion I accused my parents of treating me as their slave. The fact is, even when you have to do what you’re told, the parent-child relationship is far superior to that of a master and slave.
This verse tells me that I am not just treated like a child of God. He doesn’t just call me His son. It is much greater than that. I have the right – with all the responsibilities and privileges – to be a child of God. This is an amazing thought. God views us as full fledged sons and daughters. That is why He both blesses and disciplines us.
Spending time with our Father should be the most natural inclination. It should be where we want to go for love, support, encouragement, and strength. Spend time with the Lord today, knowing that He wants you to experience the best that being a part of His family has to offer.
Tags: Bible, blessings, calling, child of God, Christian, cross, devotion, encouragement, faith, family, hard work, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, obedience, parent, problems, provision, relationship, savior, slave, testimony
2 Timothy 1:5
I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
Sometimes it’s good to look back over your life to see where God has brought you from. I love to hear a testimony of a changed life. I have known drug addicts, gang members and people from the “underworld” who have given their lives to Christ and were changed by His power. I have met people who have been bound by addictions, hurt by abuse and oppressed under the weight of depression all set free by the blood of Jesus.
It is an encouragement to see the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit at work in the world. I, for one was insulated from most of these issues. I tend to relate more with Timothy. My grandparents were saved soon after they came over to America from Italy. My parents were raised in church, and followed Christ throughout their lives. When I came along, I had no choice – church was where our family went, whenever the doors were open.
Then, one day, at a children’s camp (Camp Woodhaven in West Boylston, MA) I personally received the salvation offered by Jesus Christ. I have tried to follow His leading ever since.
Sometimes I used to feel that I missed out on something, when I would hear the testimonies of how God saved people from an evil life. But when I grew older I realized the blessing of being born into a Christian home. God kept me from some of the things that could have destroyed me. I have a testimony of the Lord’s power to keep and protect a life from the darkness of the world.
So, whether you came to Christ from a life of great sin, or you were raised in church, be grateful to the Lord for His presence in your life. The fact is, we all need a Savior. No one is too far away from His love. Equally, no one is good enough to deserve His love. We all need the power of the cross to set us free. Praise God for His grace that He freely gives to all who seek Him.
Tags: Bible, Christ, Christian, Christian witness, devotion, disciple, encouragement, evil, faith, God's faithfulness, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, praise, protection, sin, testimony, trust, world
Psalm 103:11-12
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
I love watching the sky in the evening. When you go outside on a bright starry night and gaze at the heavens, it seems to go on forever. Indeed, all the stars that you are able to see are light-years away. They are unreachable at our present level of knowledge.
That is how much God loves us – to a level unattainable by human thought. My finite brain cannot comprehend His love and compassion for me. That He would pay the price for my forgiveness at a point when I didn’t even know Him is beyond my understanding.
But there is more to it. If I were to travel in a direction – east or west – and continue on forever, I would still never come to my sin that was taken away. He has permanently removed the sin, guilt, and punishment that should have been mine. What an incredible thought.
These are basic truths that are known by most believers. Yet, it is a good thing for us to take the time to review and meditate on them once in a while. Spend some time in the stillness of your surroundings today, and allow these deep principles to work on your soul. Let them revive and renew your appreciation for the Savior of your life. Give Him thanks today for all He has done for you.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, east, encouragement, faith, forgiveness, God's love, higher, holy worship, Jesus Christ, praise, presence of the lord, stars, thank God, thanks, west
Psalm 46:4-6
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
Yesterday I posted about the fact that there is nothing certain in this world. Our trust, hope, and expectations must abide elsewhere. We need to fix our eyes on the heavenly kingdom.
No matter what kind of trouble this world faces, the power of God remains secure. The river of life will never fail. If we remain in Christ, then the things that shake this world around us will not affect our walk.
Rising gas prices, economic failures, terrorist threats, and global warming are just a few of the issues that have nations in turmoil. Through it all, the kingdom of God is still secure. No matter what happens I know that the grace of the Lord can still reach me. I can come to this river at any time for sustenance and refreshment.
We can face the uncertainty of life without fear. This only comes from the knowledge that our feet are securely in a kingdom that is not of this world.
Spend time meditating upon the faithfulness of God. Think about the times He has brought you through the difficulties you have faced in the past. This should inspire praise and worship before Him. Then, take your future and commit it into the Lord’s hands. Only then will you have true security.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, encouragement, faith, fear, glory, God's faithfulness, grace of God, heavenly kingdom, Holy Spirit, hope, praise, presence of the lord, problems, protection, security, strength, trouble, trust
Mark 2:23
One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.
On one of His journeys, the Lord and His disciples passed through a field of grain. As they went through they began to pick and eat some of the heads of wheat. This was something the Law of Moses allowed so that a traveler could have something to eat along the way.
This reminds me of a time when I was hiking a trail up Mt. Everett in southwestern Massachusetts. As I neared the top I suddenly came into a stand of high bush blueberries. Each bush was overflowing with ripe fruit. Without even bending over I was able to grab a handful at a time and pop them into my mouth. What a great snack God had provided!
God always desires to refresh the weary traveler. He provides a bounty in the wilderness. This is especially true along the path of life. God wants to keep your spirit fresh and vibrant.
Our job is to keep our eyes open and to look for these times of refreshing. They could happen anywhere and at any time.
Spend a few moments right now thanking God for His abundant provision. Give Him praise for the times of encouragement you have received in the past. Ask Him to give you a sensitive spirit so that you can recognize the signs of His presence all around you as you continue your journey.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, distractions, encouragement, faith, God's faithfulness, goodness, Holy Spirit, mountain, overcoming, path, presence of the lord, refreshing, traveler
I Kings 19:5-8
Then he [Elijah] lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
While he was on the very edge of despair, Elijah received sustenance from the Lord. As he was running away from the stress in his life, God provided him with supernatural food to sustain him. God knew that the journey before him was too much for his flesh to handle. So, He provided what Elijah needed.
I will let you in on a secret. If you are following God’s plan for your life, then your journey is more than you can take. You will need this supernatural food to strengthen you.
That is why your life experience must have a spiritual side to it. Meeting with God in a quiet place is one of the most powerful, life-changing events you could ever plan for. Don’t neglect your spiritual food.
Take the time to find nourishment for your soul in the Lord’s presence. Cast your burdens upon Him and allow His strength to revive your spirit.
Tags: Bible, Christian, despair, devotion, Elijah, encouragement, enemies, faith, God's faithfulness, God's will, mountain, overcoming, presence of the lord, problems, spiritual food, strength
The Spirit and the Word 