by Linda Knight Inspirational Christian devotions, faith, hope and love
Author: nofearlinda
I am a retired public school teacher that has developed a love of writing. God has lead me to write after many years of study and a life full of experiences. God has shown Himself faithful as I desire to share His love and unlimited character with others.
Besides writing, I love to quilt, cook, garden and travel. I enjoy spending time with my grandson, friends and family.
Jesus was at the temple teaching his disciples. He observed the following and made a lesson for all of us out of what He knew and what He saw.
Luke 21:1-4 As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
Jesus knows our hearts and our motives when we give. He pointed out the rich who look good and give a lot into the temple coffers. Then Jesus pointed to a poor widow who put in a very small amount. On the surface it would seem the rich were doing a better job of giving generously to God’s work, but Jesus knows the circumstances of this widow’s heart and resources. She gave out of her poverty putting all she had towards God’s work. The lesson for us is: we need to give out of our hearts sacrificially not what is convenient or what makes us look good. Those that give out of their wealth give gifts that are used by God, but what concerns God most is our heart attitude and willingness to give sacrificially to see His Word go forth.
Where do you need to examine your own giving methods and reasons? Is God at the heart of your giving? Do you give cheerfully or begrudgingly? Are you giving God the ‘first fruits’ or the left overs? We need to look carefully at our hearts as we give as it does not matter whether we are giving a large amount or a small. God knows our hearts so we need to be honest and open to His leading. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can give with an open heart motivated by His love and seeking to honor Him with my gifts. Let Jesus be the keeper of your heart and let His Holy Spirit shape and define your motives for giving to Him. Let your ‘put in’ with your monies be a true reflection of your love for Him.
Today’s ‘put on’ scripture is a bit of a surprise. When I read it I could not remember seeing this promise from God about the Holy Spirit here in 2 Corinthians. It is a gem, a hidden treasure to encourage and enlighten you and me!
2 Corinthians 1:20-25 is an infusion of hope and courage from the Apostle Paul. “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
His first affirmation is that every promise is fulfilled, completed, and made right in Christ. What a blessing to know that everything God has planned will be completed by Christ in His time and in His way. We do not have to doubt. 1 Kings 8:56 puts it this way, “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.” God keeps His promises. Amen means ‘so be it’. That is another affirmation that God’s will is to be completed just as He said.
Paul continues to reassure us that God makes us able to stand firm in our faith in Christ. David stood firmly rooted in the Lord and said, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rockand my Redeemer.” in Psalm 19:14. May David’s words and conviction be ours as we stand firmly for Christ. Paul also reminds us that we are anointed by Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit. The seal He puts upon us shows He owns our hearts, we belong to Him and His Spirit living within is just a heavenly deposit to remind and empower us to live for the Lord. His Holy Spirt is our guarantee that all is Yes in Christ and we have an eternity settled with Him.
May these verse help you to ‘put on’ His love, claim His promises and step out in Spirit led faith today!
For our final Sunday of Lent, #5, before Palm Sunday and the Easter, I want to look at the last verses of Psalm139: 23-24. These verses speak to my heart because they tell me to who God is and why I need Him.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
God is omniscient, all-knowing so He knows what is in my heart and what my heart desires. If it is not good- then God knows it. If it is good or partially good, God knows it. He can and does use my thoughts to guide and challenge my thinking. I am His and all of me belongs to Him. He can seek out and reveal to me things I have done wrong, attitudes that need refining or redirecting and through His searching He can cleanse me from the inside out! Praise our magnificent, merciful and loving God.
In yesterday’s blog, Paul gave us the reasons for putting on God’s armor. (See the blog entitled “Armored Up.” Today we see the purpose for each piece and the benefits of suiting up!
Ephesians 6:13-17 “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.“
Each piece of God’s armor is specifically designed to help us withstand the temptations and trial of this world. Satan wants to see us defeated. He knows he cannot take our salvation away as it is held secure in the love of God and sealed by the Holy Spirt. However, he can destroy our witness, cause us to be discouraged or feel defeated and worthless. Paul presents the specifics of God’s armor to encourage and strengthen us, as we seek to walk with Christ day by day. First, Paul reminds us that putting on God’s armor will allow us to stand in the face of evil and hold on to Him no matter what comes our way. Then Paul begins listing each piece that will fortify us. The truth of the gospel, the truth of who God is and His being binds us and gives us strength like no other. Covering our heart is the breastplate, so our inner feelings and soul are protected from harm by His righteousness. When David cries out to God in Psalm 51:10 ” Createinme a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”, he is requesting renewal of heart, purification by Christ and resilience. All of these come from the righteousness of God and are ours in his breastplate of righteousness.
The next piece of armor is for our feet, the gospel of peace. The salvation of Christ to the world brings peace wherever it goes, as being in Christ brings unity of purpose. Putting on the shoes of the gospel means being willing to walk with Him and tell others about His love, forgiveness and salvation. Now that Paul has us up and dressed, we need to pick up our outer shield which is faith. The shield goes before us and protects us from the doubts and methods of Satan who seeks to destroy us and our witness.
Lastly, Paul mentions our two offensive weapons that can be used in our battles against Satan. They are the sword of the Spirit and prayer. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. Jesus rebuked Satan when he was tempted in the wilderness with God’s Word. His Word has power and can be our defense against any attack that Satan launches against us. It is a sword that is discerning and powerful according to Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The sword is amazing as it works to help us defend ourselves. Prayer is also an offensive weapon we can use it both for and against our enemies. Prayer changes things and gives us emotional, physical and spiritual support. We are admonished to ‘pray continually’ and that prayer is effective. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayerofarighteous person is powerful and effective.” 1 Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteousand his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Prayer is a tool we can use continually- night and day, for and with each other and for our help, hope and defense!
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can suit up with God’s weapons of defense and offense to stand against the powers of this world and Satan. Thank you Jesus for your all covering armor that we can use to protect and defend ourselves and our witness in this world.
As Paul ends his letter to the Ephesians, he pens some of the most famous ‘put on’ verses in the Bible. Ephesians 6:10-12 set the stage for the specifics that come later. He tells us to be ready by putting on God’s armor which will help us stand when things get hard, when we are under attack from the evil one, or when we feel weak and unfocused in our faith.
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Before telling us about the specific pieces of armor God provides for those who believe in Him, Paul gives his general reasons for putting it on. 1) From the beginning Paul reminds us that God’s armor works because it is given infused with His mighty power! 2) God’s armor will help us be strong in Him. 3) His armor will help us stand firmly rooted in faith against Satan’s attacks. 4)The forces coming against us are unseen, other worldly, not tangible so we need God’s special armor to be able to stand and fight victoriously.
God realizes that standing firmly against Satan and his minions will take His power within us. We cannot do it alone. He has designed special armor for believers to wear so that we can stand protected in His power. We need to know that God goes before us and also has our backs! “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” Isaiah 49:16 “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behindyou, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21 Both are precious promises God has given to us! So armor up, put it on, cling to it and stand upon His truth in the knowledge that He is with you! Because Christ died on the cross androse from the dead,I can stand firmly upheld and armored by Christ. Remember Christ wins!
I am greatly encouraged by the ‘put on’ passage we have today. How many times have you thought about your heavenly body to come? I know I look forward to no aches and pains, no worry or stress, no concerns about what to eat and the calories the food contains, etc. We don’t want to rush into our heavenly bodies as that would mean we are no longer living on earth, yet we long for the presence of the Lord as we weary of the pressures of life on earth. Our passage is from 2 Corinthians 5:1-8.
For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.
Here are some lessons and truths from this passage- be encouraged as we wait to put on our heavenly bodies: *Once we leave our earthly body we will have a heavenly one (vs1)
*Our heavenly body is made by God (not man made like our present one) (vs1)
*Our new bodies will be free of weariness and clothed by God not a free floating spirit with a body (vs 3)
*The Holy Spirit is our guarantee within us that we will have a heavenly body just as God has promised (vs5)
*We live by faith not by sight (vs7)
*Being here on earth means we are not with the Lord in person yet (8)
*We can live confident that we have a home in heaven with the Lord! (8)
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead,I can live knowing life after death means a new body, a new home in a place with the Lord as guaranteed by the Holy Spirit who dwells within me right now! What glorious promises from our promise-keeping God! Savor this joy today and spend time communing with the Holy Spirit. Thank Him for His confirming guarantee.
Earlier during Lent, I wrote on Acts 28:3 (March 4, Entangled with Vipers) which told the story of shipwrecked Paul and how he was bitten by a poisonous snake and lived. Today’s scripture follows that incident on Malta. Acts 28:7-10“There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.
This story shows the continued protection and providence of God towards Paul and his mission to go to Rome. God had told him he would go to Rome during the storm at sea that rendered them shipwrecked. “23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” Acts 27:23-26. Paul knew he was to be about God’s work while on his way to Rome. The local official welcomed them and was very hospitable to these strangers and prisoners. When the father of the official became ill, Paul immediately went and laid hands upon him and healed him. This miraculous healing caused others to come to Paul and many others were healed. He had a God given opportunity to witness to the power of Christ in this unexpected place. He was well taken care of and soon set sail for Rome again.
What do we learn from this story? God is sovereign and in control of all circumstances. He allowed the storm and shipwreck to happen thus providing Paul time to show others the power of God though his actions and words. You can be sure that Paul spent time telling others about his Jesus. He knew that Jesus is the only one who has the power to save both spiritually and physically. God’s power is manifested through us so that others will see and hear about Him. Paul was obedient to tell others and heal the sick. What happened as a result was grace to Paul and his fellow prisoners and the good news of Christ being given there on Malta.
Our question today is, in what circumstances do you find yourself? Looking around, how do you see that God could use you to help others physically? Who can you tell about Jesus to give them spiritual food? Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can be used by God to reach out to others physically and spiritually. We need to keep our eyes and hearts open to His leading so we can be His hands of helping and healing to our weary world.
Today’s scriptures from Luke 12:22-25 are ones we are all familiar with but the previous verse in Luke 12:15 shows the cause for Christ’s concern. “Then he said to them,“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Christ was talking to the disciples about worrying about accumulating wealth and the tendency towards being consumed by greed and desire for worldly things over heavenly treasures. Luke 12: 22-25 is where Jesus tells us to not be overly concerned about what we ‘put on’ physically as that kind of worry is futile. “Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?
Jesus’ point is clear, worry about worldly things and needs will consume us if we let them. Will doing all that worry add any time to our lives? No, in fact the stress may make us literally sick with worry. Not that we are not to be mindful of our needs, but the worry of it should not consume us. Jesus’ reasoning is that God takes care of the birds of the air and sees to their needs and He loves us so much more. How do I know this? Because God sent His only Son to die for our sins to restore us into right relationship with Him. John 3:16 tells us how much He loves us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus wants us to live a life of trust, walking with Him, not one that is consumed with worry or seeking material possessions needlessly. With our old nature, it is always tempting to let greed overtake reason. Jesus knows this so He points us to a walk of faith and trust in Him.
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead,I can live a life free from worry and grounded in His love and care. Time spent worrying is time spent not trusting God. May your day be worry free as you trust in His faithfulness and abundant provision.
What drives your behavior or relationships with others? Do you look for what you can gain from the encounters or do you seek to be a giver and see how you can help others? Our motivations are the subject of Paul’s hard words in Romans 14:10-13. He calls us to look at the why and the substance of our relationships with others.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.
Paul reminds all of us that we are accountable to God and will one day stand before Him to give account for our words and actions. The believer will receive rewards for the good they have done for the Lord and the unbeliever will face punishment for their sins. Since believers are in Christ and covered by His blood and righteousness, God does not see the sin yet He does measure our actions and words. We are accountable to Him. Paul then concludes that knowing this fact, we need to examine our words and actions towards others so that they are honoring and edifying. We want to seek to build others up and encourage them in life and faith. We don’t want to put stumbling blocks in their pathway to trip them up, cause them to sin, cause them grief or lead them away from Christ by our actions. This is serious work for the kingdom and we need to examine ourselves daily to keep our motivations, actions and attitudes in alignment with Christ.
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can live a life that is yielded and accountable to God that willbring Him glory. There is hope in Christ. We do not need to fear being a stumbling block to others, if we keep focused on Christ and seek His will for our lives.
Our verses for today from Psalm 139: 17-18, reflect the psalmist love for God. He also grasps the immenseness of who God is, His vastness and power. Meditate on these 2 verses as you begin your day.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.
The psalmist knows that the knowledge of God, who He and and what He does, is beyond his imagining. God is immense and unending. He knows there is no way to put God in a box and count the number of things He could do. He is amazed and grateful that God thinks about and cares for him. He knows that God is with him 24/7. When he awakes assured that God is still with him. Praise God for His faithfulness.
Do you know this about God? Is He real as you try to grasp his eternal nature and omniscience? Like the psalmist, I seek to know God and try not to define or limit Him by my human finite standards. God is so much more. I am humbled by the fact that God loves and thinks about me. He alone knows what I need to pursue the work He has designed for me. May you catch a new glimpse of God and His love and care for you today.
Blessings this 4th Sunday of Lent as you seek to know and worship Him.
Fearless Living 