religion Archives - Page 4 of 21 - Tabetha’s Devotions

August 8, 2019August 8, 2019

Remind Me Again Lord

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (NIV)

Word Study

Command – H7422 צָוָה ṣāwâ, to command, order, instruct, give direction

Thoughts…

God is all-sufficient. I have commanded, called, and commissioned thee to do it, and will be sure to bear thee out in it. When we are in the way of duty, we have reason to be strong and very bold. Our Lord Jesus, as Joshua here, was born up under his sufferings by a regard to the will of God, and the commandment from his Father (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary).

When I instruct students it is because I need them to know something. I don’t expect them to already know it. However, there are times when I need to remind them. God never expected us to be without fear. In Joshua 1:9 he is reminding Joshua, and us, it is OK. The fear you are feeling is natural, but you can let go because I got you. I am with you. I sent you on this mission and will be with you and equip you with everything you need. Let me remind you just how much I love you!

Instructions not only teach us new things, but they also remind us what we already know.

August 7, 2019August 7, 2019

Remember the Thief

Ephesians 4:14

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. (NIV)

Word Study

Cunning – G3235 κυβεία kybeia, cunning, craftiness, trickery

Craftiness – G4111 πανουργία panourgia, cunning, craftiness, deception, duplicity

Deceitful – G4415 πλάνη planē, error, delusion, deception

Scheming – G3497 μεθοδεία methodeia, scheming, craftiness, strategy

Thoughts…

In his New Testament epistles, Paul frequently warned his readers to be on guard against false teaching (e.g., 2 Cor 11:3–4). These cautions reveal that from an early point Christianity was open to distortions and heresies that took many forms through overemphasis on some and denial of other central Christian teachings (Archeological Study Notes Bible).

Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31). the Lord with all your heart and love others as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). I don’t read in these verses anything about wearing or not certain clothing. I don’t see hairstyles, piercings, or tattoos. I don’t see any must-have rituals. So why do people get so hung up on things like that when judging others and their walk with God?

Don’t let anyone other than God dictate your walk with Him. Remember the thief on the cross died right after believing in Christ and went to heaven with him that very day.

August 5, 2019August 5, 2019

But It Is Just A Little

Galatians 5:9
A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough. (NIV)

Word Study

Yeast – G2434 ζύμη zymē, yeast, leaven

Thoughts…

Yeast is generally a symbol of evil or corruption in the New Testament. The metaphor includes the idea of a tiny amount of yeast being able to ferment a large amount of dough (Archeological Study Bible Notes). *see Mark 8:15

A pastor once gave a sermon on sin. He held up a glass of water and asked, ”Who would like a drink of water?” One man raised his hand. The pastor then said, ”Come on up. It only has a little arsenic in it.”

I also recently saw a commercial where people were going into what looked like a restaurant where they were giving out water. The gentlemen explained it only contained the legal amounts of lead in it based on what area of the country it came from. Needless to say in either situation no one wanted to drink the water.

Sin is like the arsenic or lead or even the yeast. It doesn’t take much to destroy everything good around it. We need to watch every step. Even the white little lie is still a lie.

August 2, 2019August 2, 2019

What Do You Already Know!

1 Samuel 12:24
But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. (NIV)

Word Study

Fear-H3707 יָרֵא1 yārē’1, to be afraid, be frightened; to revere, respect; to be awesome, be dreadful, be feared; to frighten, terrify, intimidate; in some contexts fear relates to terror and fright, in other contexts fear relates to honor, respect and awe, as in “the fear of the LORD”

Thoughts…

I use to teach middle school math. My students would get anxious over learning something new. To help them out I would tell them let’s start with what we know. I would throw a new problem up on the board and away we would go. Eventually, we would get to the new part but they had the confidence to tackle it because they remembered how far they had come already.

Life can throw us for a curve sometimes. Anxiety can build when a new challenge is presented. It can even make us want to drop everything and run the other way. When this happens set down and remind yourself where God has taken you already. What has He seen you through? What do you already know? I am not saying things ahead will become simple an easy right away, but you will get there.

August 1, 2019August 1, 2019

The Rainbow Comes AFTER the Storm

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (NIV)

So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. (MSG)

Word Study

Weary-G1591 ἐγκακέω enkakeō, to give up, become discouraged, lose heart

Reap-G2545 θερίζω therizō, reap, harvest

Thoughts…

We are all very apt to tire in duty, particularly in doing good. This we should carefully watch and guard against. Only to perseverance in well-doing is the reward promised (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary).

I read a devotion recently that asked a simple question. Am I choosing to give up because it’s the right thing to do or the easy way out? Sometimes God does tell us to stop or change directions. It is part of the growing and understanding process. However, there are times in our life we are asked to keep going. It may be painful or lonely, but it is a road we must travel to get us where God needs us. We need to learn to be steadfast in those moments. Keep hanging on; your reward is coming.

July 31, 2019July 31, 2019

He’ll Leave the Light on For You

Romans 8:35
Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: (MSG)

Word Study

Separate – G6004 χωρίζω chōrizō, to divide, separate, leave; (pass.) to be separated from, set apart

Thoughts…

Paul’s conclusion to the first half of the book emphasized the majesty and glory of God and pointed to the certainty of God’s redemptive plan. All that happens to them rests in the sovereign hand of God, who in all things “works for the good of those who love him.” Believers gain assurance knowing that God is for them (8:31). In all the testings and sufferings that confront believers, they can be confident that they are more than conquerors through Christ who loved them. Believers can expect difficulties in this age; yet they can be certain that nothing will be able to separate them from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus” (HCB Commentary).

Repeat after me, ”NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING can take me away from God!” No one can do this. You can’t even do this. You can’t run away. You can’t sin so bad that he won’t forgive you when you ask. He is there and will always be. Yes, even in those times when you feel totally alone. You are not!

You know if God could had a catch phrase it would be something like Motel 6. “He’ll leave the light on for you.”

July 30, 2019July 30, 2019

For Today, You Can Choose To Not Be OK

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (NIV)

Word Study

Good – G19 ἀγαθός agathos, good; good as a positive quality (vs. bad), good as a moral quality (vs. evil):– good, clear, right, better, favor, fully, generous, grain, helpful, kind, pleasant, surplus, useful

Thoughts…

It cannot be that He ‘of whom, and through whom, and to whom are all things,’ should suffer that purpose to be thwarted by anything really adverse to us, or that He should not make all things, dark as well as light, crooked as well as straight, to co-operate to the furtherance and final completion of His high design (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary).

This verse is the most well-meant verse Christians use when someone is in trouble. However, in the midst of the pain, it doesn’t help. I want you to know today it is OK to not be OK. It is OK to need to curl up and just take a moment to cry, be angry, confused, afraid and hurt. Let God hold you. Tomorrow will come and when it does we will face this together and know God has our backs. But today take your moment and I will sit here with you quietly praying that when you’re ready we can face that purpose together.

God has a purpose for everything but we don’t have to face that purpose today. Today we can choose to just not be OK.

July 29, 2019July 29, 2019

Wisdom Can Hurt

James 1:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (NIV)

Word Study

Wisdom – G5053 σοφία sophia, wisdom (either secular or divine). Christ is called “the wisdom of God” in 1Co 1:24, 30. On the basis of the OT, wisdom can be personified

Thoughts…

In trial the believer must ask for an understanding of the purpose behind the divine permission of the difficulty. An incentive to do this is that God will give generously to those who ask and will not humiliate them for asking. Those who face trial with perseverance receive a crown of life from God as a reward for their stamina (HCB Commentary).

Wisdom brings truth and sometimes that truth hurts. I recently needed wisdom on how and what to tell a loved one. I prayed earnestly on what I should say. The words I used were the truth and it hurt this person’s feelings. I felt at peace when it was over but it didn’t take away the pain I felt at having to hurt them. I know it was a matter of discipline. She needed to be shown the truth. God gave me the wisdom and now I pray that she will hear and see the wisdom. Only time will tell. Good thing God controls time too.

Wisdom does not shield us from pain it just helps us work through it.

July 26, 2019July 26, 2019

Hope Calms You in the Storm

Romans 5:5

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (NIV)

Word Study

Hope – G1828 ἐλπίς elpis, hope, expectation

Shame – G2875 καταισχύνω kataischynō, to dishonor, humiliate, shame, disappoint

Thoughts…

It is the gracious work of the blessed Spirit to shed abroad the love of God in the hearts of all the saints. A right sense of God’s love to us, will make us not ashamed, either of our hope, or of our sufferings for him (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary).

Hope is our lifeline. It is what drives us to get up every day. It is what gives us rest at night. Hope for better days ahead. Hope for our loved ones and friends to get better, find Christ or get that new job. Hope that when we take our last breath we will close our Earthly eyes and open our new ones to the beauty of Heaven.

There is no shame in hoping. Don’t let anyone everybody to put you to shame or make fun of you for hoping. Instead, feel sorry for them because they must live a pretty dark and depressing life without help.

Hope is our beacon on the hill that sees us through any storm.

July 19, 2019July 19, 2019

Hope Brings Sunshine

1 Thessalonians 4:13

Believers Who Have Died
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. (NIV)

Word Study

Sleep – G3121 κοιμάω koimaō, to fall asleep, sleep; die

Hope – G1828 ἐλπίς elpis, hope, expectation

Thoughts…

For the Christian, sleep is a particularly apt metaphor for death, since death’s finality and horror are removed by the assurance of resurrection. Inscriptions on tombs and references in literature show that first-century pagans viewed death with horror, as the end of everything (Archaeological Study Bible Notes).

Even death has nothing on my hope. God destroyed death when Jesus died in our place. We have a future beyond death. We have hope in a better life beyond this one. If our hope is powerful enough to give us peace over death, how powerful is it to get us through whatever it is we are going through today? Our hope can bring us that much-needed ray of sunshine as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It can also walk us through the darkest of days we find ourselves in along the way.

Hope means our future’s so bright, we gotta wear shades!

Tag: religion

Remind Me Again Lord

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Remember the Thief

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But It Is Just A Little

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What Do You Already Know!

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The Rainbow Comes AFTER the Storm

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He’ll Leave the Light on For You

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For Today, You Can Choose To Not Be OK

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Wisdom Can Hurt

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Hope Calms You in the Storm

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Hope Brings Sunshine

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