Devotions
October 16
Devotion -
Holy Spirit
Devotion- content from In Touch Ministries
Have you ever felt inadequate to live the Christian life? If so, then you are exactly where God wants you to be, because you have discovered a vital truth: No one has the power in him- or herself to live a holy life. We are all in the same boat, but there is someone else with us who has the power we need—the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus gave His disciples the task of preaching the gospel to the entire world, they had absolutely no ability to carry it out. That’s why He told them to wait until the Holy Spirit came. In the same way, if we hope to accomplish what God desires in our life, we need to live with full dependence on the third Person of the Godhead.
The power of the Spirit is God’s divine energy and authority released in believers’ lives for the purpose of righteous living and fruitful service. When we walk in the Spirit, we’re relying on His strength to accomplish God’s will. As a result, we experience the following benefits:
• We may get tired, but we won’t burn out.
• We’ll trust God instead of trying to manipulate our circumstances.
• We may experience distress, but we won’t become desperate.
• We won’t become overwhelmed with discouragement or obstacles, knowing the Spirit within us will enable us to do what He’s called us to accomplish.
When we do God’s work by His strength, in His way, and with His wisdom, we’ll be blessed no matter what goes on around us. Walking in the Spirit doesn’t mean life will be easy—but we never have to walk through it alone, because our Helper is always with us.
Questions
1. How can you learn to depend on the Holy Spirit of God?
2. How do you receive the Holy Spirit?
3. What can the Holy Spirit do for you to assist you on a daily basis?
September 18
Luke 19:1-9
Make a Difference
The God of Grace and Truth
Zacchaeus the Tax Collector
Luke 19:1-9
1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
Listening
It always amazes me when I read about how Jesus shows grace to those who do not deserve it. By the way, we don’t deserve His grace. Grace is the undeserving, unmerited favor of almighty God. It also amazes me when I read about how Jesus gives us grace when He knows the truth about us. Truth is that we are all sinners and we do things, say things and think things that go against God. We can’t hide this from Jesus, but He loves us, forgives us and and accepts us in spite of our wicked ways. This truth should not make us want to sin more because we know He forgives us, but should make us live a holy life in order to grow close to Him.
Discussion
1. How can you show others grace when they deserve judgement?
2. Why should you show mercy to others when they have wronged you?
3. Are you allowing Jesus to show you grace and truth?
Application
1. Share your salvation experience with someone this week
2. Go out of your way this week to be extra nice to someone who needs it.
September 4
John 1:14
Make a Difference
The Word Of Grace And Truth
14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Listening
Sometimes we view grace and truth as opposite sides of the spectrum rather than as two sides to the same coin.
In truth we are confronted with our sinfulness and our need for someone to free us from ourselves and the current sin of the world around us. This truth then points us to grace and not a feeling of hopelessness.
As we proclaim truth as Jesus did, we need to make sure that there is an equal measure of grace ready to be given. In grace, rather than God giving us what we really deserve, He gives us what we desperately need. As Jesus entered the world, he came “full of grace and truth.”
In today’s culture we’ve substituted tolerance for grace. Tolerance says I’m ok, you’re ok, we’re all ok so let’s just stay that way. But grace is a much more radical acceptance because grace says come as you are.
Let’s see the real you—the good, the bad and the ugly of who you are—and by the way you get to see the good, bad, and ugly of my life too. But we don’t stay there—we recognize that because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has something better for all of us to pursue.
Grace says we’re all messed up and God has something better…and we are going to pursue this with God together.
Discussion
1. How can you show others grace when they deserve judgement?
2. Why should you show mercy to others when they have wronged you?
3. Are you allowing Jesus to show you grace and truth?
Application
1. Show kindness to someone this week who deserves judgement.
2. Go out of your way this week to be extra nice to someone who needs it.
August 28
Philippians 4:4-9
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Listening – from Joyce Myers
Philippians 4:13 is a very popular scripture that is often quoted out of context. It says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." That doesn't mean you can just do anything you decide to do because you want to do it. Paul was talking specifically about how he was able, through the power of Christ, to be content no matter what his circumstances were.
I do believe that, by God's grace, we can do whatever we need to do in life. I think that's a mindset we need to have. There's nothing that's too much for you if you're trusting God. You can handle whatever comes your way because God promises that He'll never put more on us than we can bear and deal with.
So, keep a positive attitude no matter where you are right now, no matter what's going on in your life. Cheer up, God is on your side. Stop being upset about things you can't do anything about.
God wants you to know that He has an individual plan for your life, and He wants you to accept His unique plan for you and not compare your plan with anybody else's. You have to trust God knows more about what you need and what you can handle than you do. After all, He knows you better than you know yourself!
Discussion
1. How can you prepare for the unseen circumstances of life?
2. How can you know God’s plan for your life?
3. Why is a Godly attitude so import to you?
Application
1. Start today making a time for you and Jesus every day.
2. Read your bible, pray and make a difference in one person’s life this week.
