Category: devotional

Avoiding Sinful Activities

~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

    “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” (Matthew 5: 30)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

Sin is defined as any act of willful disobedience toward God. Sin is very serious because it separates us from our Heavenly Father. Because God loves His children, He desires for us to let go of our sinful practices, and be reunited with, and grow closer to Him. Any egregious sins, such as fornication, adultery, lying, stealing, lewdness, drunkenness, idolatry, etc, must be abandoned. In order for us to live, we must cut away the sinful portions of our dead flesh.
    In April of 2003, an experienced mountain climber named Aaron Ralston was hiking alone in a remote mountain pass in Utah. While maneuvering through one of the crevices, a giant boulder dislodged and pinned his arm against the canyon wall; for days he attempted to free himself. He had not told anyone where he was going, so he knew that no one would be looking for him. When he had finally run out of water, Aaron was faced with a terrible choice. He could sever his arm with an ill-equipped pocket knife; or he could keep his arm and simply lay down and die. The only thing standing between Aaron and the rest of his life were two bones, several muscles, and some tendons in his forearm. Aaron chose to break the bones in his arm; he then sawed through his own flesh with a dull knife. After nearly 127 hours of confinement, he left his severed arm behind and climbed out of the canyon. Until that day Aaron had lived selfishly. He had been a ‘loner’ who pushed others away. Shortly after his experience he came to believe that the boulder had been waiting for him his entire life, and that it was destined to transform him. He said, “I left my hand behind in that canyon, but I gained my life back.”
    Like Aaron, many individuals encounter boulders in their lives; giant rocks that pin them down and keep them from knowing complete freedom. If you are plagued by any pressing sins and want to follow Jesus, then you have some cutting to do. Cut away the dead flesh and you will live. Ask God in faith for His assistance, and He will give you the strength to do what is necessary.
  “Lord Heavenly Father we recognize that sin can cause many to become separated from You. Although we know that salvation is a free gift, we also acknowledge our responsibility to refrain from willful acts of disobedience. Give us the strength to put any sinful activities to death, that we may continue to live for You. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you!

Love For God

~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hand all the law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22: 37 – 40)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

According to Jesus, loving God with every ounce of our being is a natural response exhibited by those who have received the Gospel message. Dedicating our hearts, souls, and minds toward serving our heavenly Father first isn’t easy, but it is of the utmost importance. He must become our priority, He must become our emphasis; upon Him we focus our lives. Because He has saved us, we must then serve Him.

As the story goes, a violent thunderstorm once preserved the town of Basle from the shells of the Russians and Hungarians who were besieging the city. These pious people, as a thankful offering in gratitude to God, founded a school for the training of Christian missionaries. This was the origin of the great Basle Missionary Society which sent out hundreds of missionaries from 1815 – 2001. Because they had felt the love of God, they were compelled to make serving God their top priority.

We who have known the love of God are called to love Him First. In turn, we dedicate our hearts, minds, and souls to the Lord. Our salvation has made Jesus and His message our top priority. His ways become our ways; His path becomes our path. If we remain focused on loving God, we will never fail to love everyone else.

“Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You as humble servants. We are eternally grateful for Your salvation and we have felt Your love. In return, may we love You with every fiber of our being. May You remain our first priority, as we dedicate our lives to serving You in Spirit and in truth. We love You, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ name. Amen.” God bless all of you!   

Moving Mountains

~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

“Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11: 20-24)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

Jesus reminds us to place our faith in God, who is the true source of all power. The things that are impossible for man, like moving an entire mountain, are easy for God. No matter how large the obstacles in our lives might be, if we have faith in the Lord, we need only ask Him, and those hindrances will be removed. In turn, we can then continue our journey toward eternal life.

We read in the old testament that after being led out of the land of Egypt, the Jewish people encountered an impassible obstacle. As they stood on the shore of the red sea they could go no further. With Pharaoh’s army bearing down on them they faced certain annihilation. And yet God parted the sea, creating a pathway through which they could escape. When the Jews had safely crossed over, the waters returned; drowning the Egyptian army.

There is nothing that is impossible for God. There are no obstacles He cannot remove, nor barriers He can’t break through. According to Jesus, if we remain faithful, then we can ask the Lord for anything and it will be done for us according to His will. May we never underestimate the abilities of our heavenly Father. Through Him all things are possible.

“Lord Jesus, forgive our unbelief and fill our hearts with faith. No matter what obstacles we might encounter, we trust that You can remove them and give us victory. As we place our confidence in the Father, may we become more like You. May we do amazing and wonderful things in Your name. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ name. Amen.” God bless all of You!