Marie’s daily verse: Colossians 2:6: You therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.

DAILY DEVOTION, April 30, 2024

Epaphras, one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God (Colossians 4:12).

Paul calls attention to Epaphras, a bondservant (slave) of Jesus Christ. He is constantly working and praying for the Colossians that they may stand perfect in God’s will. We know there is no perfect church or Christian. Human sin and imperfections preclude that. It makes me wonder what an ideal church would look like.

In a perfect church, Christ would be honored as the head. Each member would be concerned with His will, and submission to the Holy Spirit would be the chief goal. The Bible would be the final authority for each individual and the church.

Every member would be born again and strive to live faithfully. When sin did crop up, there would be immediate confession and repentance. Each member would feel loved and cared for by the entire church. When personalities clash, those involved are quick to forgive. Being in harmony with one another is more important than being right.

There would be a burden for those who do not know the Savior with a zealous missionary outreach at home and abroad.

Other thoughts run through my mind as I imagine the perfect church, but let this suffice. No, we will never achieve total perfection in this life. No perfect church exists, but what kind should we strive to be? Shall we be content with mediocrity or seek to be the best we can be? While we will never achieve complete perfection, should not that be our goal?

Father, I want to be a church member who strives for perfection. I want to use my gifts and talents to further Your Kingdom. Yes, I will fall short of perfection, but I do not want to be content with mediocrity. As I walk by faith, I know You will walk with me and use me to help build Your kingdom. In Jesus name, Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming (1 Peter 1:13).

DAILY DEVOTION, April 29, 2024

Acts 26:18: “ … to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified^[ by faith in Me.”

The context of this verse is the conversion of the Apostle Paul. Jesus is speaking, and He tells Paul his mission. He is to go to the Gentiles and share Christ with them. Those who listen and hear will have their spiritual eyes opened. They will leave the realm of darkness and enter the kingdom of light. All of this takes place through faith in Jesus Christ.

True Christians also receive things from God. First, they receive forgiveness of sins. Because our sins are washed away, we receive a second blessing, an inheritance. Our primary inheritance is the gift of everlasting life.

Then there is the word “sanctified.” It means we are set apart for service in God’s kingdom. As we serve God in the name of Jesus, our assurance of forgiveness and everlasting life grows. The more we serve, the stronger our confidence in God. If you are full of doubts, lacking assurance that you are unquestionably in God’s Kingdom, ask yourself this question: How active is your service in the Kingdom of God? Faith that does not go to work in God’s Kingdom will grow weak.

In one verse, Jesus gives Paul a summary of the Christian life. Faith in Jesus leads to forgiveness of sins, an eternal inheritance, being set free from Satan’s power and being set apart for service in God’s Kingdom. We are among the redeemed when all these elements are in our lives.

Prayer: Father in heaven, thank You for loving us so much that you sent Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for the gift of sins forgiven.  Thank You for the gift of everlasting life. Thank You for allowing us to serve in Your kingdom. Keep us in true faith until life’s end, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: In that day you will say: 

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted (Isaiah 12:4). 

DAILY DEVOTION April 28, 2024

Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will see the land that is very far off.  (Isaiah 33:17).

In context, Israel is under siege by Assyria. Nevertheless, Isaiah encourages the people to be faithful. In the last analysis, God is in control. No matter what happens in this life, God watches over His people. The prophet gives a beautiful promise to Israel. One day, the faithful will see the King in His beauty, undoubtedly a reference to the Messiah, Jesus. Those who first heard that promise did not see the King during their lifetime.

For the faithful Jews, seeing their King in His beauty took place in heaven. They could see a land afar off, no doubt a reference to heaven. It reminds me of the verse in Hebrews 11:39. These ancient Jews died without having seen God’s promises fulfilled. Yet, they believed in the Word of God. They believed the day would come when they would see their Messiah King. It was all far off into the distant future, but they believed.

It reminds us that some of God’s promises to us might not come true in this life. But we, too, shall one day see the King in His beauty. So keep the faith because there is a new world coming. Now we see in a glass darkly, then we shall see our King face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Father, please help me to hold tightly to Your promises even when they are not realized in this life. Thank You for the promise that I will one day see the King in His beauty. Keep me in true faith until that day. I pray in the name of Jesus, King of kings, Amen. 

Marie’s daily verse: Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name (Psalm 103:1). 

DAILY DEVOTION, April 26, 2024

“…the one who controls his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19).

When we think of gaining more wisdom, we may think of reading more, studying more, attending classes – – – Solomon tells us that one path to gaining wisdom is to control our lips or watch what we say. Sometimes words spoken in the past live on into the future. We don’t want to speak words that hurt others. We all need to think before we speak. I have opened my mouth thoughtlessly too many times.  I pray that others who may have been hurt by my words will forgive me.

Our verse tells us that when we control our lips, we have gained wisdom. If you want a Ph.D. in wisdom, learn to control your lips. Be careful, especially at home. Sometimes we say hurtful words to those we love that we would never say to a friend. Remember the song, “You always hurt the one you love?” James cautions us to listen more than we speak.  “My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger…” (James 1:19). Sometimes the words we speak live on. Let’s work at making sure they are good words, not hurtful ones.

Prayer: Father, help me to control my lips. May the thoughtless words I have spoken in the past be erased from the minds of those who were hurt by them. May the words of my mouth always be words acceptable in Your sight. Help me, Father, to control my lips, In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: Psalm 3:3-4: 

But you, O Lord, are a shield for me,my glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. 

DAILY DEVOTION, April 23, 2024

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me, you can do nothing (John 15:5).

This is a very “fruitful” verse! First, we note Jesus’s preeminence. He is the vine, which nourishes the branches. If a branch is severed from the vine, it dies. If we are separated from Christ, we die spiritually. The branches do not control the vine. We are not in charge of our lives. Jesus is.

John stresses that we are to abide in Christ. Literal branches have no free will to determine how they relate to the vine. It is different for us. We can choose to abide (remain) in Christ or “branch” out on our own. We abide in Christ by faith. As we trust in Jesus, His life flows into us. We stay “attached” to Jesus as long as faith remains alive.

If you wonder, “Is my faith genuine?” John provides the answer. Those who truly abide in Christ bear much fruit. What is the fruit of the Christian life? In Galatians, Paul defines spiritual fruit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control. In other words, we begin to look a little like Jesus. We become decent, loving people. Joy and peace flood our souls. We are characterized by kindness. We live life striving to be faithful to Jesus. We are patient people (I’m still working on that!).

Am I abiding in Christ? The answer is revealed in our daily lives.

Heavenly Father, I do trust in Jesus. I rejoice that the signs of spiritual fruit are present in my life. I also confess that I have a lot of growing to do. I pray that I will live close to Jesus, ever trusting in Him, and more spiritual fruit will become evident. In His holy name, I pray. Amen.