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The Gift of A Comforter
One blanket. Two blankets. Three blankets. Four. Keith and I sat in front of the fire trying to get warm. The winter storm had brought a temperature of 3 degrees that the weatherman said, “feels like minus 11.” If only we had power and water. We had neither. The winter storm continued and we couldn’t get down our icy driveway to get to our adult children’s homes. If you’ve lived in an area affected by a winter storm you know how devastating the cold can be. Especially if you run out of wood, which happened to us. We couldn’t complain, though. We had a comforter. A comforter that we may have taken for granted becomes deeply appreciated in a winter storm. So, too, is a spiritual Comforter when we’re experiencing life’s storms. Second Corinthians 1:3 describes the as Lord as the God of All Comfort. Yes, when a person’s crisp tongue chills us to the core or the howling wind of despair blows through our heart, or we are experiencing a literal storm, the God of all Comfort comforts us like none other. Why? The Greek word for comfort means “to call to one’s side, speak to, in the way of exhortation, console, teach.” How incredible that God gives every believer the gift of His presence through the Holy Spirit. Our Comforter is an abiding presence who will never wear out, never become threadbare, and never leave us. The more we blanket our lives with His teachings, the more we’ll know the warmth of His abiding presence.
Adapted from Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, page 67.
Sweet friends, you are in my prayers as you suffer through life’s storms.
Heavenly Father, You are the God of all COMFORT! Please comfort all who are suffering. Give them Your wisdom. Bring resources to help them. Strengthen them as only You can. In Jesus’s name, amen.
Register for END TIMES: What You Should Know, What You Can Do. 5 week, FREE study by email. Begins March 1.
Thank you, Lord, for being CLOSE TO Us when we’re BROKENHEARTED
Today is Valentine’s Day, a day marked by exchanges of tokens of love. But what if you wake up alone? What if your loved one is deceased? What if your loved one cheated on you? What if you’ve never had someone love you? What if you’re not only alone but you’re crushed in spirit? I find it amazing that the Bible is the most honest book we”ll ever read. Our Heavenly Father knows there will be times in our life like that, which is precisely why He wants us to know that even if we’re alone, He’s close. Even if there is no one to save or lift our crushed spirit, HE CAN. Our Heavenly Father is sending a loud and clear Valentine message to you that He loves you. There is nothing we have done or will do and there is no place we can go that He isn’t present. “I LOVE YOU. I’M HERE,” our Heavenly Father calls to us, with Jesus echoing His love by laying down His life for us so we can live eternally with them.
Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for loving us and being close to us.
“The Lord is CLOSE to the BROKENHEARTED and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
More than ever before, I am convinced of God’s eternal love and plan as I delve into our study, End Times: What You Should Know, What You Can Do. Join me! You’ll be so glad you did. Even if you’re in another study and don’t have time right now to do the study, go ahead and register so I’ll know to email it to you. Then you’ll have it for when you’re ready. It’s FREE! Sign up HERE.
Check Your Closet Again
Have you ever thought about God in relation to your clothing? It’s an odd question, I know. But the Bible says that in addition to God’s many character traits that He is a clothier. A clothier is a person who makes, sells, or deals in clothes or cloth, and God fits that description from Genesis when He clothed Adam and Eve with animal skins to Revelation where God clothes us in “fine linen, white and clean.” There’s an additional way our Heavenly Father clothes us. He clothes our innermost being. Galatians 3:27 describes believers as being “clothed with Christ.” Think about that. God could provide no finer clothing than for us to sport Christ’s righteousness. So, the next time you start to say, “I don’t have anything to wear,” remember…you do!
Lord God, we praise You for being our CLOTHIER, for covering us with Christ’s righteousness so we are not ashamed before You.
PS: No doubt, you’ve heard about rewards in heaven, right? Have you ever thought, “I don’t need rewards. Heaven is reward enough?” I’ll be honest, before preparing for our study of End Times: What You Should Know, What You Can Do, I’d had similar thoughts. Now? I’ve changed my mind. I’ll be sharing important scriptures on this topic in our study. If you haven’t signed up for this FREE email study, sign up today! Read, watch, study at your convenience. Learn more here. This is important information all believers should know.
Let the Blessing Sink In
Jesus asked His disciples who others said He was. Then He asked the more important question. “But who do you say that I am?” That’s a question every one of us must answer. Have we replied to Jesus as Simon Peter did? That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God? Jesus affirmed Peter with these words, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” (v17). Did we catch that? Jesus did more than affirm to Peter that he answered correctly. Jesus also pointed out that because Peter had confessed with his mouth what he knew in his heart – that Jesus is the Christ, Peter was blessed. Not only that Peter would be blessed one day, but that he was already blessed. Peter’s heavenly grasp that Jesus was more than a good man, that Jesus was God’s Son who had come to save us from our sins, sealed Peter’s destiny. His confession sealed his sins being eternally forgiven. So, too, my friend, you are blessed. Blessed with the forgiveness of your sins for eternity. Blessed with knowing the destiny of your soul so you don’t have to live in fear of death. In case you haven’t thought about it lately, let the blessing sink in.
Jesus, You are the CHRIST, the SON OF THE LIVING GOD. I praise You!
“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” Matthew 16:16
YES! END TIMES: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW, WHAT YOU CAN DO begins MARCH 1.
Praise to God’s CHOSEN ONE
How would you answer the question, “In what does your soul delight?” If someone asked me, I’d have to think for a minute. What about you? Would you say you’re “into” music? Or, would it be sports? Or your family? Or work? Or cooking? Fill in the blank. My soul delights in _________________. God the Father tells us in whom His soul delights.
“’Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My CHOSEN ONE in whom My soul delights.’” Isaiah 42:1
Jesus is God the Father’s Chosen One. Sounds like a proud father watching His child, doesn’t it? I wonder if our souls would more often find delight if we kept our eyes on the CHOSEN ONE.
JESUS, GOD’S CHOSEN ONE, we worship and praise You. We delight in who You are!
Check Out this Privilege
Isn’t it amazing that our human nature often rejects what is good and gravitates toward what is bad? Although it’s sad, it’s true. Peter calls believers to realize that the person people reject when they turn away from Christ “is choice and precious in the sight of God.” (1 Peter 2:4) The Greek words “choice and precious” mean that God appointed Jesus to the most exalted office conceivable.* He is held in honor and prized by His Father.** Continue reading in 1 Peter 2:5 and your heart can’t help but be warmed. Jesus is a choice and precious living stone and believers are also living stones, being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. For what purpose? “To offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Oh my. So often we sacrifice for things on earth that are temporal. But to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God? That is a privileged calling and it is ours, my friend.
CHOICE AND PRECIOUS Savior, we love You and praise You. Focus our eyes on You and our time and energy on eternal rather than earthly, passing things.
This is RIGHT IN KEEPING with Session 5 of “END TIMES: What You Should Know, What You Can Do” – The Rewards for Faithful Living. Have you registered yet for this FREE study I’ll email to you beginning March 1?
If We’re Smart…
Sheep. It’s been said they’re not the smartest animal in the world. That’s why they benefit from having a shepherd to watch over them and care for them. In relation to God, we’re not always the smartest. That’s why we benefit from having a Shepherd of our soul to watch over us and care for us. Matthew 9:36 records that our Shepherd, “Seeing the people, felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Mark 6:34 further explains, “…He began to teach them many things.” What is Jesus, the Chief Shepherd‘s (1 Peter 5:4 ) response to seeing us be distressed and dispirited? He teaches us what to do and how to live. Of all the voices vying for our attention, Jesus’s voice is the One we’re to follow. The Bible is His voice on paper. If we’re smart, we’ll read and follow His teachings.
Thank You, JESUS, CHIEF SHEPHERD of our souls, for looking at us with eyes of compassion and for teaching and leading us.
Help is On the Way
“I need help!” Have you ever said those words to someone? Has someone ever said them to you? “Help is on the way” is all I could think to say to a friend who once called me. She needed to hear those words. She needed to know I would be there to help her. But what if you don’t have someone who can show up at a moment’s notice and help you? In those times, remember that God is your help. Psalms 33:20 says,
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help.
Are you in trouble and need help? Are you in despair and need help? Unlike my friend who had to wait for me to arrive, the Lord is our present help. We need only call on Him. Learn more about God and how He is your help in my book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion.
Are We or Aren’t We
God continues to spread the Word and love of Jesus!. If you haven’t liked our Ministry Page, please do HERE. Why? Because every time you LIKE and share these devotionals, you help us reach people for Christ.
If someone were to ask you what makes your life, marriage, family, career, and friendships work well, what would you say? Are you successful because you’re a hard worker? Are you successful because you’re conscientious? Or, perhaps a good listener? It’s an important question. A more important question, though, is what makes your life, marriage, family, career, friendships work to the glory of God? Why is that an important question? Because if we are a Christian, 1 Corinthians 10:31 says that everything we do is to be to the glory of God.
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Acts 4:11 reinforces this fact by saying Jesus is the stone that was rejected, but who became the CHIEF CORNERSTONE.” In other words, we’re to build our lives on Christ in such a way that our life brings Him glory. If that’s not happening, we can begin today. We can draw closer to Jesus.
JESUS, You are the Chief Cornerstone on whom we’re to build our lives and glorify You. Help us consider if we’re doing that and if not, how we can.
DEAR FRIENDS, I get a notice when you sign up for “END TIMES: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW, WHAT YOU CAN DO.” I am PRAYING FOR YOU and our time together and would cherish your prayers for me as I continue to write and prepare the teaching videos. It’s going to be a GREAT TIME for us to study together!
Savior and Champion
Have you ever given your best effort at something, but failed? On the other hand, have you ever experienced great success? It’s normal to want to win. In keeping with that, Isaiah 19:20 has encouraging news for Christians.
It will become a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them.
Jesus is the proclaimed Savior and Champion not only for the Jews but for all who call on Him for salvation. If you’ve repented of sin and confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will be one of the myriads in heaven and during the Millennial Kingdom on earth following the Great Tribulation. Yes, we are returning from heaven with Christ to earth at the end of the 7 year Great Tribulation. We are with Christ when He takes over the world and rules from Jerusalem. Don’t think for a minute that our national or world situation is under the ultimate control of anyone but Christ. If you’d like to learn more about what the Bible tells us is ahead, join me for End Times: What You Should Know, What You Can Do. It’s free and will be delivered to your inbox. Begins March 1. Do at your own pace.
LORD, You are the CHAMPION over all. We can’t wait to see the witness of the display of Your glory and reign. We love You.