Through the Bible - Isaiah 48-51, 2 Thessalonians 2-3:5
Good morning,
Many of these devotionals recently have looked at the "Truth", God's Word and how important it is for us as Christians to be reading, studying, and praying through it regularly, daily.
I read three different devotionals this morning that were all linked, centering on the importance of God's word. I'll post them for you.
Ps 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. NKJV
Prov 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life, NKJV
And from today's New Testament reading we go for today's verse:
1 Thess 2:13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. NKJV
The work of God's Word includes: saving, guiding, counseling, reviving, restoring, warning and rewarding, nourishing, judging, sanctifying, freeing, enriching, protecting, strengthening, making wise, rejoicing the heart, and prospering. (John MacArthur). Which of these do you need today?
J R Miller writes about the importance and practicality of reading God's Word, helping us to live "effective" Christian lives as it works through those who believe.
Nothing is more helpful and practical in
Christian living--than the habit of getting
a verse or phrase of Scripture into the mind
and heart in the morning. Its influence stays
through the day, weaving itself into all the
day's thoughts and words and experiences.
Every verse in the Bible is meant to help us
to live--and a good devotional book opens
up the precious teachings which are folded
up in Scripture.
A devotional book, which takes a Scripture
text, and so opens it for us in the morning--
that all day long it helps us to live, becoming
a true lamp for our feet, and a staff to lean
upon when the way is rough--is the very best
help we can possibly have. What we need in
a devotional book which will bless our lives--
is the application of the great teachings of
Scripture--to common, daily, practical life.
Do you find passages and verse coming to your mind as you go through the day? When this happens, they are working as the lamp to our feet and the light to our path as we walk along.
In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
1 Thess 2:1-16
2 So, friends, it's obvious that our visit to you was no waste of time. We had just been given rough treatment in Philippi, as you know, but that didn't slow us down. We were sure of ourselves in God, and went right ahead and said our piece, presenting God's Message to you, defiant of the opposition.
No Hidden Agendas
God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. Be assured that when we speak to you we're not after crowd approval — only God approval. Since we've been put through that battery of tests, you're guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas. We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smoke screen to take advantage of you.
Even though we had some standing as Christ's apostles, we never threw our weight around or tried to come across as important, with you or anyone else. We weren't aloof with you. We took you just as you were. We were never patronizing, never condescending, but we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did.
You remember us in those days, friends, working our fingers to the bone, up half the night, moonlighting so you wouldn't have the burden of supporting us while we proclaimed God's Message to you. You saw with your own eyes how discreet and courteous we were among you, with keen sensitivity to you as fellow believers. And God knows we weren't freeloaders! You experienced it all firsthand. With each of you we were like a father with his child, holding your hand, whispering encouragement, showing you step-by-step how to live well before God, who called us into his own kingdom, into this delightful life.
And now we look back on all this and thank God, an artesian well of thanks! When you got the Message of God we preached, you didn't pass it off as just one more human opinion, but you took it to heart as God's true word to you, which it is, God himself at work in you believers! Friends, do you realize that you followed in the exact footsteps of the churches of God in Judea, those who were the first to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ? You got the same bad treatment from your countrymen as they did from theirs, the Jews who killed the Master Jesus (to say nothing of the prophets) and followed it up by running us out of town. They make themselves offensive to God and everyone else by trying to keep us from telling people who've never heard of our God how to be saved. They've made a career of opposing God, and have gotten mighty good at it. But God is fed up, ready to put an end to it.
(from THE MESSAGE
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