by lighthouse | Jun 20, 2023 | Uncategorized
Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Christians thrive with a confident mentality of absolute trust in God and His promises. Even though being a Christian will not eliminate heartache and disappointment on this earth, yet a strong, loving relationship with our God will include conversing with Him very regularly. What a marvel it is to communicate with God with the absolute assurance He carefully listens and responds.
by lighthouse | Jun 19, 2023 | Uncategorized
Romans 12:11 “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” Do you ever get tired of encouraging others? Does it seem at times encouragement is difficult and and seemingly without positive results? Our author and our God knows that to be discouraged is a human trait one has to avoid. When you get down try and think of our Savior and how He must have become discouraged when His own people, whom He was dying to save, treated Him so terribly, yet He persevered and won. Always be enthusiastic in serving your precious Savior.
by lighthouse | Jun 16, 2023 | Uncategorized
Romans 12:9 “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” Love, hate and cling— All three are character traits of a Christian. Fake nothing—-rather, follow the example of our Savior. How do we know what and whom to love? How do we know what and whom to hate? How do we know what truth to tightly hang on to? Study the Scripture for therein is truth and eternal life. Pray for a person who receives these devotional thoughts who suffers from an addiction involving pornography. He asks all of us to pray for him as he knows God answers prayers. Enjoy your weekend.
by lighthouse | Jun 13, 2023 | Uncategorized
Romans 12:4-5 “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” God is the Creator of our extremely intricate, complicated wonderfully interactive body with each part of its amazing cooperative functions serving each other part from nano to larger organ. That is the way God alone functions. He has done the same process within His family of believers. Each of us has His intended purpose or function. What is your purpose or function within the body of glorifying our Savior?
by lighthouse | Jun 12, 2023 | Uncategorized
Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” A leadership team has been formed which I am a part of works with those who have suffered from various addictions. Not one member of that leadership team think themselves better than anyone else. We all understand we are covered with a blanket of grace provided by our Savior and each of us, whether client or mentor, all need and appreciate that wonderful blanket. You also enjoy the comfort of that blanket–it keeps you wonderfully warm.
by lighthouse | Jun 9, 2023 | Uncategorized
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Conforming to the pattern of society is a major mistake. Society does not ask itself–is what I am doing or is what I am thinking according to God’s will or according to my will? Society does not ask—who am I living for-myself or God? Two very easy examples are societies response to couples living together without beig married and mothers aborting their children. Both are against God’s will while being favored by man’s will. Which do you live by—-man’s will or God’s will? Have a reat weekend.
by lighthouse | Jun 8, 2023 | Uncategorized
Romans 11:6 “And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.” God used our author to make a definite and absolute point—you and I are saved by grace. You and I can do nothing –nothing- to earn salvation. God enables each of us to have a relationship with Himself only because of His love for each of us. Normally we would conclude enabling is something we should not do. God says without enabling we are lost—He is the Greatest Enabler to ever exist. Thank God for His love, His enabling character and His having saved us by His grace alone.
by lighthouse | Jun 7, 2023 | Uncategorized
Romans 11:5 “So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.” Elijah thought he was alone in his faith commitment. God assured Elijah there were thousands of other faith filled followers. Have you ever thought–is there anyone else who truly believes as a Christian should believe? Evolution, abortion, greed, immoral living, LGBTQ+ has become the ridiculous LGBTQQIP2SAA. Is a God fearing and God loving mentality a thinking of long ago? Far from it! God’s grace rules the world–we just should not be so quiet!
by lighthouse | Jun 6, 2023 | Uncategorized
Romans 10:14b “..And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” A parent’s responsibility is to teach their children. Without teaching a child will not only live aimlessly, the child will do him/her self harm. A Christian’s responsibility is to teach those who do not know their Savior. Without teaching a person will not only live aimlessly, but the person will do themselves harm.Thank whoever taught you!
by lighthouse | Jun 5, 2023 | Uncategorized
Romans 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Declare and believe and you will be saved–what a phenomenal promise. Salvation is guaranteed by declaring and believing. We will all enter eternity–why woud anyone in their right mind not declare and believe? Thank God for having blessed you and me with a right mind! Nothing is more valuable.
by lighthouse | Jun 2, 2023 | Uncategorized
Romans 9:32m “…they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works…” You and I can do nothing to gain eternal life. We live and die by faith. We receive all the benefits of being children of God because of the advocacy work of our Savior. We live under the wonderful umbrella of grace only which is a free and loving gift from our Savior. Our good works show our appreciation for His grace. If we think otherwise we detract from the the total work and love for us expressed in our Savior’s indescribable love. Good works are a natural action of appreciation, nothing more and nothing less.
by lighthouse | Jun 1, 2023 | Uncategorized
Romans 9:21 “Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?” God has a purpose for all of us. We have all been created by Him to give glory to Him by using whatever talents He has given to each of us. In considering our purpose we must always be asking ourselves both is this what God would have me do and does what I do give glory to God? We are living on this earth to faithfully serve Him and not selfishly serve ourselves.
