May 25, 2017 Devotional

Greetings All!

Trusting this day finds you well, and close to our Lord Jesus! I am writing today to encourage you in your faith, in your personal devotions, and in your church attendance.  Please give a little thought and meditation to the following scriptures:

FAITH: Hebrews 11:6  "And it is impossible to please God without faith.  Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him." Romans 10:17 "So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ." 

PERSONAL DEVOTIONS: Hebrews 10:22 " let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water." Psalm 1:1-3 "Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.  But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.  They are like tress planed along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.  Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do."

CHURCH ATTENDANCE: Acts 2:42 " They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Hebrews 10:24-25 "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near."

The above scriptures are taken from the New Living Translation.  Can you "see", and can you "feel" the meaning of each one?  Here is a quick paraphrase:  

"Understand that faith is of the utmost importance.  Always have faith in God.  And, increase your faith by hearing, really hearing and pondering, the Word of God. When you take personal time in God's Word, you literally 'hide yourself' in His presence. It is there that you are cleansed and purified from the darkness and evil of this world.  We benefit so much by spending time in His Word, in fact, we receive strength and plant deep roots in Christ as we tarry in His Word. On top of this, we must continue in the ways of the early believers that 'devoted themselves' to sound doctrine, to fellowship, to communion and to praying with one another.  All this takes place in the local church.  As we gather together, on the 'first day' of the week or during mid-week, we encourage one another to keep going! We do this, especially as we discern the times, that Jesus is coming!"

Have a great week!  Please feel free to respond to this devotional to me. I would really like to hear from you!  

All For Jesus!                                                                                                                               Pastor Rick