Devotionals
Bible devotionals help us deepen our understanding of scripture and strengthen our relationship with God. By taking time each day to reflect on biblical passages, we cultivate a sense of peace and clarity in our lives. These devotionals provide guidance and encouragement, helping us navigate challenges and grow spiritually. Ultimately, they serve as a reminder of God's love and presence in our daily lives.
AM I SAVED? Have you ever wondered if you are going to Heaven? You can have full assurance of God's saving Grace. “Have you been saved?” Many times, Christians ask others this question, but what does it really mean? How do I know if I have been saved? These are questions every man and woman should ask themselves at some point in their life. What is Salvation? From a Christian point of view, salvation is the rescuing of one’s soul from the eternal punishment of hell. The punishment is the result of our sin. Salvation from punishment is made possible through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Not everyone is saved. In fact, the bible says that, “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:14). Are you one of the few? Have I met God’s qualifications? The Bible teaches us that there are four qualifications that have to be met for someone to be saved. We must have a knowledge of the gospel message, the Holy Spirit must convict us of our sin and draw us to God, we must repent of our sin, and we must believe in Jesus with all of our heart. Let’s discuss these four requirements in some more detail: Do you understand the gospel? It is impossible to receive something that you have never been offered. The same is true of salvation. Romans 10:13-14 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? …” The word gospel literally means, “good news”. It is the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came to make a way for man to have a relationship with God and to be saved from eternal punishment. He took our place and died the death that we should have died so that we can inherit eternal life. Have you heard and understood this message? Have you been convicted? We aren’t speaking of a federal crime. We are talking about the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. This work of conviction accomplishes two tasks in us. First, conviction allows us to see our need for salvation and feel the shame of our sinfulness. King David recounts deep spiritual trouble brought about by the Lord as he was searching for salvation (Psalm 116). In addition, conviction draws us to God. Jesus said, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: …” (John 6:44). The Holy Spirit doesn’t just leave us with a terrible feeling of emptiness; it also leads us to the solution to our problems, Jesus Christ. We don’t come to Christ of our own accord; we are drawn to Him in a way that we can feel. Have you repented of your sin? Repentance involves realizing the error of a situation and turning away from it towards a better situation. That is what we must do to be saved. God convinces us of the sinfulness of our lives through His work of conviction (John 16:7-9). The apostle Paul wrote, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” (II Corinthians 7:10). What this means is that the sense of sorrow for our sin, which God gives us, leads us to repentance. True repentance involves turning away from your sins and turning to God with all of your heart. Have you believed in Christ? Christ is the source of salvation. In fact, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). This belief in Christ is more than a factual knowledge of who He is, it is the belief that He is who He said He is, the Son of God, and that He can save you (Acts 8:34-37). The faith (belief) that saves is one that is of the whole heart. Only God can see our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7) and only God knows if we have truly believed with our whole heart. The Reality of an Experience Scriptures teach us that there are some who believe they are saved but are really just fooling themselves. Jesus said that in the day of judgment, many people will say, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” However, Jesus will say to them, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:22-23) How do you know if you have really met God’s conditions for salvation? How can you have assurance you won’t be turned away at the Judgment? You must first understand that there is no gradual process of salvation. You either are saved or you are not. Because God uses His Spirit to draw us to salvation through a deep sense of need and conviction over our sins, we can know the moment when we are saved because of the peace that replaces this emptiness and void in our heart. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” Everyone who is truly saved has a moment in their life when they truly repented of their sins and believed in Jesus through the drawing of the Spirit. They also have the momentary experience of grace where God took away that burden, forgave you of your sins, and placed the Holy Spirit within you. Perhaps you didn’t recognize what had actually happened to you at that time. However, based on what you now know, do you have that experience? Salvation produces more than a one time experience, though, it results in a total change of your life. Was there a Change? When someone is saved, they become a new creature in Christ. 2 Corinithians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” What has changed? Everything! That same Holy Spirit which was convicting us now dwells within us and leads us. It is a discernable voice that provides direction (Acts 16:7), magnifies Christ (John 16:13-14), and will always fall in line with the Bible (I John 4:1). Also, we have a desire and the ability to please God through good works. In fact, that is why God saved us, to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). Summary True salvation is more than a mental decision, repeating a prayer, or a progressive work. It’s also more than an emotional experience. It is the divine intrusion of the human nature by something much greater than itself. It is something too significant not to be noticed. It is a total change that will affect your entire life, both now and in eternity. Now ask yourself this question, “Am I Saved?” If not, it is God’s will that you turn to Him right now in repentance and faith.
Why does God allow suffering? God often allows us to suffer for spiritual growth, lessons of humility and the ability to help others... PAUL’S STATEMENT WAS THAT HE SUFFERED FAR BEYOND HIS ABILITY TO ENDURE: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.” 2 Cor 1:8 Ephesus was the capital of Asia to which Paul was referring. He had endured many difficult situations in which he thought surely, he would not make it out of alive. He tells the Corinthian’s, I don’t want you to be ignorant of what’s happening to me, and how he believed their prayers had helped him. He refers to multiple hardships and suffering that came upon him and declared that it was far beyond his ability to bear. To name just a few Paul states that he had battled the wild beasts there. Some scholars believe that he was thrown into one the arena’s and faced a lion which was common to the day, however more likely the expression refers to the savage brutal people that often wanted to kill him for his preaching. A riot did occur in Ephesus which Paul was nearly beaten to death. Not only did the savage Pagan people want to kill Paul but the Jews had plotted to assassinate him as well. Somehow God had spared Paul’s life, and he knew it. He knew he was facing more than his ability to overcome. Some believe that this situation influenced Paul’s preaching. From this point forward he understood and faced the probability he would soon be killed. In turn, the book of 2nd Corinthians focuses almost entirely on the resurrection and the future life in glory. Because of these trials Paul’s life had been endangered more than once. He had been called to look death calmly in the face, and to anticipate the probability that he might soon die. The apostle was right, for his life was taken from him by the sword of a Roman soldier when he was beheaded as ordered by the Emperor of Rome. The phrase “God would not put more on us than we can bear”, is not biblical. Often it is taken out of context: “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Cor 10:13). The context of this passage deals with the temptation to sin. Paul is reminding his readers that God will not allow people to be tempted beyond their abilities. In other words, there is no temptation that you should feel you are powerless against. People use this phrase as an effort to comfort people who are hurting because of painful life circumstances. Unfortunately, this cliché has the tendency to do the opposite. This mind set can cause tremendous discomfort and lead people away from Christ, the source of true comfort, and cause them to think they have their own ability to endure the hardship. In reality, the only way we can make it through difficulty is by faith in Christ alone. The truth is, God often puts more on his children than they can bear. The Apostle Paul himself, who wrote of his suffering: “Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches (2 Cor 11:25-28). There is example after example where people cry out to the Lord in the bible, this is too much, I cannot bear it, I can’t do this and every time they are right. God allows us to feel pressure so we will surrender our lives and will to Him. In our day there are pressures that come from every direction. There are thousands of Christians who face intense suffering and they all say the same thing, this is too much to stand, I have too many problems and the reality is the sooner we learn we cannot handle it the better off we will be! Jesus’ words make it very clear, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another” (Mat 24:9-10). Jesus says to His disciples, “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service” (John 16:2). John the Baptist suffers in prison until he is beheaded. (Matt 14) Jesus was beaten and crucified before this He prayed for strength and God sent His angels to help. Job was crushed in every way and lost all that he possessed and after it was over he still had to live with the loss. He also had to learn that he could not figure it out, it was not a punishment, but it was more than he could handle alone. CONSIDER THESE POINTS IN CONCLUSION 1.God uses suffering to bring about continuous dependence upon His grace Paul wrote about the incredible lesson he learned—when he was at his weakest in human strength, he was at his strongest in Christ. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong (2 Cor 12:10). 2.God allows suffering to teach us to depend on each other Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ (Gal 6:2). 3.God allows suffering to manifest Christ’s life in each of us and partake of Jesus’ suffering. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy (1 Pet 4:13). 4.God allows suffering to purify the heart and to make us holy. If you are suffering more than you can bear, understand this, Jesus is our burden bearer. You don’t have to bear it alone. Simply give it Jesus. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” Matt 11:29-30).