Lord, I Believe

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

God has everything in place to fulfill His word when He speaks about His plans. He does not need to speak, in fact doesn’t speak, hypothetically. He knows exactly what will come to pass. All He asks from us is simply to believe Him. We will experience great blessing when we place our absolute trust in Him.

Believing as a prerequisite to receiving is a principle for all Christ followers. Then blessings follow. A case in point is Mary, the Mother of Jesus. When God spoke to her about conceiving the Christ child, He gave the assurances He always gives when He assigns the impossible to His people. He had everything in place and was ready to act, but one thing was needed. There was one thing Mary had to do—BELIEVE IT! Once she believed, it was done!

I’m sure Mary was filled with questions. She could not possibly know the future and all that she and her child would face. But she knew one thing; God had spoken to her, and that was enough. So she responded: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

Just like Mary, you cannot possibly imagine all that God has in store for you when you believe Him. He had everything in place for Mary and He has everything in place for you too! Go ahead, say it, “LORD, I BELIEVE!” 

"Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord." (Luke 1:45)

Eruption of Praise

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

  

In my daily Bible reading program today, Mary bursts forth in one of the most beautiful praises to God recorded in Scripture. Praise is the spontaneous response of the child of God who enters His presence, as it should be. The person who knows God and experiences Him intimately erupts with the highest praise! To stop the praise of a thankful heart would be like trying to arrest the flow of the mighty Niagara. I have yet to figure out Christ followers who have difficulty thinking of reasons why God deserves both our public and private praise.

For those who find it difficult to praise the Lord, could it be that they have lost an appreciation for God’s merciful activity in their lives? Things like, the assurance of a heavenly eternity, spiritual kinship with other Christ followers, His generous providential care, and His abiding presence in us—just to mention a few!

As you contemplate the boundless love and mercy God has shown you, you may find yourself like Mary—erupting in praise. Spontaneous praise is authentic praise. It does not have to be manipulated or orchestrated. It is a real and personal expression of a grateful heart that has encountered the holy God!

And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior." (Luke 1:46-47)

The Divine Difference

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

While reading about the birth of Christ in my daily devotion time, I was again struck by the faith of Mary. The angel Gabriel told her that God was going to do something impossible—she would give birth to a baby without the sexual act. That defies all human logic; it’s absurd, yet that is exactly what happened. When God speaks about doing the impossible, it is no longer absurd.

God promised to bring salvation to all mankind. His plan was to enter our realm, the earthly realm, and He chose Mary as an instrument to accomplish that. It was absolutely necessary for Mary to not only believe God would do it, but also to adjust her life for the awesome thing He planned to do through her.

I like to call that adjustment the Divine Difference. The difference between Mary and the rest of the Jewish teenage girls of her day was the divine. The same is true today. The difference between a Christ follower and a moral person is the divine. The difference between the church and a club is the divine. While some may replicate the lifestyle or morality of a Christ follower, none can reproduce the divine.

One benefit of the divine is the possibility of the miraculous—in Mary’s case, the miraculous birth of the Messiah. The Divine Difference will make possible the miraculous in your life. Can you join with the archangel Gabriel and say…

"For with God nothing will be impossible." (Luke 1:37)

Radical Attitude Adjustment

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

We choose our attitudes; they don’t just happen. The apostle Paul agrees. He urged Christ followers to have the same attitude that Jesus had. Easier said than done, right? But think about Jesus’ attitude for a moment. His place was at the right hand of the Father, ruling the universe. No position could be more glorious or honorable than the Father’s right hand. His relationship with the Father gave Him the right to that honor.

Jesus voluntarily let go of that right. Nothing, not even His position in heaven, would prevent Him from doing His Father’s will. The love He had for the Father compelled Him to make any sacrifice necessary in order to be obedient to Him. When the Father required a spotless sacrifice for the sins of mankind, Jesus did not cling to His rights, nor did He argue that He was above the rebellious creatures of dust, therefore unwilling to suffer for them (Isaiah 53:7). Rather, He relinquished the glory of His heavenly existence in order to become a man. He was born in a cave; he slept in a feeding trough—a manger. His life was spent preparing for the day when He would suffer an excruciating execution. He did all of that willingly.

If you find yourself struggling with the will of God, or hesitant to do it, ask the Holy Spirit to help you have the same selfless attitude that Jesus demonstrated. Chose to be like-minded. God will be honored, and you will be blessed when you make that radical attitude adjustment.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5)

God's Approval

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

It’s commonplace to seek approval for our actions. Children long for parental affirmation, and it doesn’t change much as we get older. We continue to value the opinion of our friends, colleagues, and employers. For some, that acclaim becomes the measure of self-worth or esteem. Of note, Jesus said that those who seek to gain the approval of others “have their own reward” (Matthew 6:2–5).

Achieving the praise of others is not difficult, but earning God’s approval is a far greater accomplishment. A key question to consider is, whose opinion matters most to you? The commendation that matters most is the one that comes from God. The pleasure that your life gives to God should be your motivation to live righteously.

When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them. (2 Corinthians 10:18 NLT-SE)