Daily Devotionals--NEW

[la.lady]

STAR,THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE DEVOTION TODAY... IT REALLY HIT HOME, AND I NEEDED TO HEAR THIS... NOW ONTO MARY'S...

[la.lady]

MARY, THANKS FOR ADDING TO THE DEVOTION TODAY...

[4gotn1]

Thank you all for this! I read the bible but dont' understand, I dont' absorb it and can't draw on it's lessons later because of that. I am struggling more in my personal life and bit hit harder than ever and want to feel so much closer to God. Reading these helped soothe my broken soul today!

[la.lady]

4GOTN1 OH SWEETIE, I AM SO GLAD THAT YOU CAME HERE. HONEY, WE WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN US HERE AND BE PART OF OUR FAMILY... YOU WILL JUST LOVE THE GIRLS HERE. THEY ARE SO LOVING AND HELPFUL... I AM SORRY THAT YOU ARE HAVING PAIN AND PRAY THAT GOD WILL HELP YOU GET THROUGH WHATEVER YOU ARE HAVING TO ENDURE RIGHT NOW !!!! THANK YOU FOR COMING BY AND PLEASE JOIN US...WE REALLY NEED YOU HERE...

[la.lady]

COME AND JOIN US ON THE SISTAS IN CHRIST THREAD, TOO. WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU THERE, ALSO...

[Pcola Girl]

4gotn1 nice to have you here with us, hope you post often and let us help you grow in your faith in the Lord Jesus.

God is wonerful Isn't He. We don't have to be a perfect person to come to Him, He takes us just like we are inspite of our sins. When He forgives our sins He wipes them clean and remembers them no more. All He ask is for us to be obedient to Him and love Him.
When we are obedient to God it proves we love Him.

Hope you enjoy todays lesson. God Bless You.


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"WORSHIP THROUGH OBEDIENCE"

Worship is expressing love to God. The first way that we express love to God is through our obedience to Him, this proves that we love Him, and that we trust Him. Faith pleases God, faith is trust, and faith is love. If you know God well enough to love Him then you trust Him and you will obey Him, because you know He has your best interest in mind what ever He ask you to do. Everything that God asks us to do is a way we can express love to Him. Expressing God's love to others is also expressing love to Him.

Obedience is expressing love to God, which is why His commandments are not burdensome to us. (1stJohn 5:2-4 NKJV) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. {3} For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. {4} For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith.

The theme in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is to prove your love for God by obeying His voice. (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NKJV) "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; {20} "that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days…

Saul disobeyed God and kept some of the plunder from the Amalekites, after they had won the victory over them. Samuel asked Saul why he had disobeyed God and Saul said, (1stSamuel 15:21-23 NKJV) "But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal." {22} Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. {23} For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king." Saul's disobedience showed that he did not love God, and didn't trust God enough to obey Him fully. Saul thought he could do things his own way and impress God with religious rituals and ceremony. Such things do not impress God; He is impressed by our demonstrations of love and trust for Him through obedience. Then when we offer up worship to God He can accept it and be well pleased with our offerings of praise and worship.

Jesus said, (John 15:9-14 NKJV) "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. {10} "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. {11} "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. {12} "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. {13} "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. {14} "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. When we obey we are saying to God that we are laying down our life for you, not to do our will but your will Lord Jesus, because we love you, and because we trust you.

God summarizes all his commandments by giving us the commandment to love. We are to love God, and we are to love God by loving other people. We are to be vessels of God's love to our neighbor; this allows God to demonstrate His love through us. All of God's word is about love; it is about what love is, and who love is. God is love. The Bible reveals love to us, the Bible reveals God to us. When we know God, we know love. God desires that we express our love to Him through obeying His voice, this shows Him that we love and trust Him, and this is the beginning of true worship.

[Pcola Girl]

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"LAST WILL BE FIRST"--FIRST WILL BE LAST"

Matthew 20:16 And Jesus concluded, "So those who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last."

In Matthew chapter 19 Peter had asked what rewards the disciples would get for following Jesus, and the chapter ends with Jesus saying, " And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake, will receive a hundred times more and will be given eternal life. But many who now are first will be last, and many who now are last will be first." ( Matthew 19:29-30) Then Jesus told a parable to explain that last sentence. He starts the parable with these words; "For the kingdom of Heaven is like a man, a housemaster, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard." (Matthew 20:1) The first thing for us to notice is that Jesus said this is what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. All through this parable keep in mind this is representing how things are done in Kingdom of Heaven.

The next part of the parable talks about the housemaster, or vineyard owner, going out to hire people. Here are the verses:

"And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. And he said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. And they went. And he went out about the sixth and ninth hour and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why do you stand here all day idle? They said to him, Because no one has hired us. He said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and you shall receive whatever is right." Matthew 20:2-7

Notice that the people were standing idle in the marketplace. They were not idle out of laziness, the marketplace was where a person went to find work. They were waiting where they could be found and were willing to go when called. They didn't go storming into the man's vineyard and start working without his permission. Any vineyard owner would become upset with someone jumping in and working without being hired and getting instructions on what needed to be done. Without proper training and instructions the vineyard could be damaged as could the product of the vine. This is how a Christian worker should be. Too often we jump in and start doing things that end up making things worse, rather than making ourselves completely available to God and being willing to go when He calls us into action. We need to spend time talking with God, getting to know Him, His desires for us, and learning how He wants the work done.

When it came time to pay the workers, the parable take an interesting turn. Take a look at what happens:

"So when evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers and pay them their wage, beginning from the last to the first. And when they who were hired about the eleventh hour came, they each one received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would received more; and they also each one received a denarius. And receiving it they murmured against the master of the house, saying, These last have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I do you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take yours, and go; I will give to this last one the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I want with my own? Is your eye evil because I am good?" (Matthew 20:8-15) If you're like me, you're thinking, "This isn't fair!" Remember, Jesus isn't talking about business in this world, He is talking about business in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus ends the parable by saying this; " So the last shall be first, and the first last, for many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew 20:16)


God is the Master of this world, this universe, and of Heaven. He can, and will, do what He sees is best. In Heaven all are equal. It doesn't matter if you've been working for Him for 40 years or 40 minutes, all are considered equal. Jesus also said, "many are called, but few are chosen." Some will not be chosen because they were not willing to respond to the call, or not willing to be trained and do things God's way. .

The person working for God is doing a work of service. It requires a humble spirit and a complete submission to God. There is no clamoring for attention or position. Just quietly and humbly doing the work God has asked. God already gave us eternal life by giving up His Son.

[CurveControl]

. marking so I can read up when I get home. Thank you for the invite, This is just wonderful!

[Determinedtolose]

Click on the triangle

YouTube - Downhere - A Better Way (New One)

[la.lady]

Hi Molly we are glad to have you with us...

We are going to be in a hurricane tomorrow, so it will probably be a few days before I will be able to post again...

You are going to love it here...

[la.lady]

Diana I can't do YouTube because we have dial up and it is too slow...

[Pcola Girl]

Molly, I am so happy you joined us here.
Patty you keep safe from the hurricane. We are just getting alittle rain and wind here thats all but the beach surf is really bad out there.

Todays study is on the most perfect gift you could ever want or need.
Like James 1:17 says, :The perfect gift is from above:.
God gives us this gift because He loves us so much. God is Love and He wants us to come to Him and to spend eternity with HIm in Heaven.

Read and study and enjoy.

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THE GIFT

(James 1:17 NIV) Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

When Jesus came to earth as a man and suffered and died on the cross so that you could be reconciled to God, He had you in mind, even though He had not created you yet. (Acts 17:24-27 NIV) "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. {25} And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. {26} From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. {27} God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

(Ephesians 4:7-8 NKJV) But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. {8} Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men." The greatest gift God gave to you was Himself, the greatest gift you can give God is yourself. The reason God gave you life is so that you would have something precious to give back to Him. The reason God gave you more than you need is so that you would have to give to those who do not have. Our God is full of compassion and He loves to give, God is thinking about you continuously all day and night, He is constantly giving to you, every breath you take is a gift from God. (Psalms 139:17-18 NLT) How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! {18} I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me! (Lamentations 3:21-24 NIV) Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: {22} Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. {23} They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. {24} I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

When you give to other people it causes the presence of God to flow through you in compassion, compassion is love in action; compassion is the presence of the Holy Spirit. There are many ways to give; you can give physical substance for a person's physical needs. You can give words of comfort or encouragement for a person's emotional needs. But best of all you can give to a person's spiritual needs; one way is to give prayer for a person, which can meet all needs. You can intercede for the person at the throne of Grace, in front of the mercy seat, before the God of compassion.

You can also feed someone's spiritual need by giving him or her the Bread of Life, the Word of God. The gospel, the good news that God loves them and has provided a way for them to enter into the kingdom of heaven, and even better than that they can be friends with the King. . Jesus said in (Luke 4:18-19 NKJV) "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; {19} To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." For the people that receive your Bibles you will make this the year of the Lord for them.

He has prepared for the gospel, to those seeking Him. (Isaiah 55:10-11 NKJV) "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, {11} So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

The most precious thing a person can own is a Bible. It gives the knowledge of God, it makes the poor man rich, it gives hope to the hopeless, faith to the fearful, food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, love to the despised, comfort to the lonely, freedom to the prisoner, health to the sick, light in the darkness, and life to the dying., (Job 29:12-13 NKJV) Because I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper. {13} The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. (Acts 20:35 NIV) In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

Because the giver always gets blessed more than the receiver get ready for the blessings of God to come upon you. The first one will be the joy of the presence of the Lord saying thank you. (Matthew 25:40 NIV) "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' (Matthew 25:23 NKJV) "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.

(Nehemiah 8:10 NIV) Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

(Proverbs 19:17 NIV) He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

(Psalms 41:1-3 NKJV) Blessed is he who considers the poor; The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. {2} The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, And he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. {3} The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.

(Proverbs 29:7 NKJV) The righteous considers the cause of the poor, But the wicked does not understand such knowledge.

(Psalms 112:1-9 NIV) Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. {2} His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. {3} Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. {4} Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. {5} Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. {6} Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. {7} He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. {8} His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. {9} He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.

(2 Corinthians 9:6-15 NIV) Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. {7} Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. {8} And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. {9} As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." {10} Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. {11} You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. {12} This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. {13} Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. {14} And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. {15} Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

THE MOST PRECIOUS THING A PERSON CAN OWN IS THE BIBLE.

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[CurveControl]

What a wonderful study!

Living without fear and in the knowledge that all needs will be met, and more, and our generosity is blessed is so timely, especially with the weather conditions and the needs that will surely come up in the coming weeks.

[la.lady]

Mary, thanks for the Devotion... God is Good !!!!

[la.lady]

I hope all of you just have the most wonderful Day in the world. Let's thank God for all the little things in our life today and just enjoy the fellowship that we have with him. He wants us to talk to him, so let's make sure that we do that today...

[Pcola Girl]

Hi Patty, hope you had the chance to read all the other Bible studies.
Hope hurricane Ike did not bother you much where you are. We were ok here.

Yes God is good. He is alway there when we need Him to because He never leaves us. We can go to Him anytime in prayer and talk to Him just like we can with each other here on earth. God loves to fellowship with us, it makes Him happy I am sure when we talk to Him.
He will listen to us about anything.
Its going to be so wonderful when we get to heaven and can fellowship with God and see all the great wonders He has prepared for us there.
I am sure we will be able to see all our friends and family to.
So Patty if I never get the chance to meet you here on earth I will meet you in Heaven one day.

Our study today is on "will we know our family when we get to heaven': This has been a topic I know alot of us all talk about but what does the Bible tell us on this subject?
God Bless You Today..
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Question: "Will we be able to see and know our friends and family members in Heaven?"

Answer: Many people state that the first thing they want to do when they arrive in heaven is see all their friends and loved ones who had passed on before them. While we will be able to see, know, and spend time with our friends and family members in heaven—in eternity, there will be plenty of time for that—that will not be our primary focus in heaven. We will be far more occupied with worshipping God and enjoying the wonders of heaven to be concerned with being reunited with our loved ones right away.

What does the Bible say about whether we will be able to see and know our loved ones in Heaven? When David’s infant son died as a result of David’s sin with Bathsheba, after his time of grief David declared, “But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." (2 Samuel 12:23). David assumed that he would be able to recognize his son in heaven, despite the fact that he died as a baby. The Bible declares that when we arrive in heaven, we will “be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). First Corinthians 15:42-44 describes our resurrection bodies: “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”

Just as our earthly bodies were of the first man Adam (1 Corinthians 15:47a) so will our resurrection bodies be just like Christ’s. “And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we[a] bear the likeness of the man from heaven. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:49,53). Many people recognized Jesus after His resurrection (John 20:16, 20; 21:12; 1 Corinthians 15:4-7). So, if Jesus was recognizable in His resurrection body, there is no reason to believe that ours will be any different. Being able to see our loved ones is a glorious aspect of heaven – but heaven is far more about God, and far less about our own wants. What a pleasure it will be to be reunited with our loved one, and worship God with our loved ones for all eternity.

[la.lady]

Mary thanks for the Devotion for today.... I believe that we will be reunited with our loved ones and live as families in heaven. Why else would God give us families on Earth and not be with them in heaven???? I just can't see that happening and Jessi Duplantis said that God showed him that we would live with our families. It is a very wondrous thing and I know everything in heaven is to behold...

[CurveControl]

Thank you Mary.
Very good lesson.

[terri73]

Mary ~ thanks for this. I have often wondered if we really will know each other in heaven and how. I always wanted to believe that we will be reunited with our earthly saved families. I have many people I am looking forward to seeing again someday!

[la.lady]

Me too Terri... I don't have many of my family left here on Earth, and to see all of them, how wonderful...

I am all packed and ready for my trip. I will post when I get back home...

[Pcola Girl]

I do believe we will know and be reunited with the ones we loved. I think thats what Heaven is all about Gods love and our families love for each other.
I will be looking forward to seeing all my family, I miss my parents so much and my son to who is in Heaven. I know God would not keep my child from me for all eternity because He gave him to me to be his mother and to love him and a mothers love for her children is eternal and not just temporary while we live on earth. Thats the way I feel.

I thought todays study was a interesting one. let me know what you all think of it.
I would think that God would not want us to because we would see sin and other bad things happening and that would hurt us and we all know there is no pain in Heaven.

But sometimes I feel that God may allow someone in Heaven to get a glimse of someone they may love just for a second to comfort them. I am not real sure what I believe on this subject.

God Bless and Have A Great day.

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"Can people in heaven look down and see us?"

Hebrews 12:1 states, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses..." Some understand the "cloud of witnesses" as being people looking down on us from Heaven. That is not the correct interpretation. Hebrews chapter 11 records many people whom God commended for their faith. It is these people who are the "cloud of witnesses." They are "witnesses" not in that they are watching us, but rather in that they have set an example for us...they are witnesses for Christ, and God, and truth. Hebrews 12:1 continues, "...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

The Bible does not specifically say whether people can look down on us who are still on the earth. It is highly likely that they cannot. Why? One, they would sometimes witness us sinning. Two, they would sometimes see things that would cause them grief. Three, people in heaven are so occupied with worshipping God and enjoying the glories of Heaven that they truly have no interest in what is happening here on earth. The very fact that they are free from sin, in heaven, and in God’s presence is enough for them to be happy. While it is possible that God allows people in heaven to look down upon their loved ones, the Bible gives us no reason to believe this actually occurs.

[Catarina]

Hi Everyone... I'm new here and I was soooo glad to find this group of Christians! I've been reading through your posts and I feel like I've found the family reunion

I've done Atkins off and on for years. It's the only thing that ever worked for me. Three years ago I lost seventy pounds and was doing great...and then I fell off the wagon.
I can't believe I gained it all back...but I did...and more.

Now I am the heaviest I've ever been but I know if I did it before I can do again. My husband is doing it with me and we are going to start on Monday, the 22nd Sept... or next Monday. That will give me time to get the junk out of the house and buy the proper food. (taking all suggestions for my grocery list!)

As part of my preparations, I am taking the huge bathtub out of the bathroom (we never use it...we shower) and I'm going to put my treadmill in there. Right now it's in the storage shed And I'm setting up my profile here so I can have a support group. I know that helped last time.

I want to say that I have been enjoying very much the little Bible studies on here. They are beautiful and full of truth. They minister to my spirit so much. I'm not sure I agree with the last one though. I rather do believe that our loved ones can see us from heaven. I think the verse in Hebrews 12 does mean that they watch us. It says in verse 1 that they "surround us"...and it makes me think of a stadium of people watching from the stands...surrounding the players on the field. Then there is the verse in Luke 15:10 where Jesus said there is "rejoicing in heaven 'in the presence of the angels' over one sinner who repents." And you know...it doesn't say that the angels are rejoicing...which I've always heard. It says that there is "rejoicing in their presence"... and that makes me think that it is our loved ones rejoicing when they see people being saved. Especially members of their families.
Just my take...
I have many family members waiting for me there. And God has shown me glimpses of heaven. So I find it very comforting to know they can see us. Probably don't want to all the time...I'm sure heaven is much more exciting than what I'm doing... but I think they like to peek in on us and I believe they pray for us there. Jesus, the Bible says, "ever lives to make intercession for us"... and it also says that "when we see Him...we will be like Him". So I believe we pray in heaven...like He does.

I love this site and I look forward to meeting each of you and to us accomplishing our goals as we encourage one another! Cat~