Christian Daily Devotionals

by Sylvia Gunter

Listen with your spirit to the Word of God in Deuteronomy 33:25b. "Your strength will equal your days." 2 Corinthians 13:4 "Jesus was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you."

Beloved one, by your Father's strength you have life. I bless you with strength in your spirit for each day. I bless you with waking up every morning knowing that the living God is sustaining, strengthening, and renewing your spirit, soul, and body for the opportunities and problems that he sets before you today. I bless you with knowing that your Father's power provides everything you need today for being who you are called to be and doing acts of obedience to him that he appoints for you to do in Jesus' name. I bless you with the assurance of inner quiet, security, and strength for each day for as long as God chooses your lifetime to be. I bless you with assurance of his help and presence in all the majesty of his glorious detail with which he has ordained your days. I bless you with a constant and growing sense of his presence with you for his purposes and his pleasure.

By your Father's promise you have life. Beloved one, listen with your spirit to God's Word in Psalm 119:50. "My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life." Your Father renews your heart and your spirit with his promises. I bless you with recalling the many times that your Father has been with you, has loved you, has taken care of you, has blessed you. I bless you with holding on to promises that he is making to you from his Word and by his Spirit. I bless you with deep understanding that his words are your very life. I bless you with knowing that your faithful Father is watching over his purposes that await a future time for fulfillment. I bless you with enjoying life, being renewed, refreshed, and restored in your relationship with God and his faithfulness expressed in his Word.

By your Father's life you have life. Beloved one, listen with your spirit to God's Word in John 5:26. "For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself." Your Father has life, and he has given his Son life in himself. I bless you with the life that Jesus has in you. I bless you with knowing the life of your Father and of his Son living in you and enlarging your spirit to know him better and love him more. I bless you with knowing that you are alive and well and awake and fully present to life today by the power of his Holy Spirit.

By the power of the Living One you have life. Beloved one, listen with your spirit to God's Word in John 11:25. "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live...' " I bless you with believing that the Living One lives in you as your life for today. I bless you with appropriating with your spirit the full measure of the life of Jesus within you for the here-and-now.

By the light of Jesus you have life. Listen again with your spirit to John 1:4. "In him was life, and that life was the light of men." I bless you with light that comes from the life of Jesus living in you and through you. I bless you with his life that lights your way, your relationships, your time, your decisions.

By the words of Jesus you have life. Beloved one, listen to John 6:63. "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life." I bless your spirit with hearing and knowing the words that Jesus speaks to you. I bless you with meeting him daily spirit-to-Spirit. I bless you with not doing anything by mere human effort. I bless you with being energized with the life of eternity upon all that you are, and think, and do.
I bless you in the name of Jesus who is your life.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/02/09/sg_strength/

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by Max Lucado

“I call to you in times of trouble, because you will answer me.”  Psalm 86:7

You can talk to God because God listens.

Your voice matters in heaven. He takes you very seriously. When you enter His presence, the attendants turn to you to hear your voice. No need to fear that you will be ignored.

Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no one, it impresses God, and he listens.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/02/09/ml_god-listens/

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Max Lucado
From: Grace for the Moment Vol. 2

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/

by Rick Warren

“I hope you will be patient with me …” (2 Corinthians 11:1a, NLT)

In order to manage change, you must remember four things:

Love each other

The first mistake most people make during change is to focus on what they’ve lost, instead of what has been gained – and that creates fear. The antidote to fear is love: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear …” (1 John 4:18, NKJV)

It’s impossible for love and fear to exist in the same environment – If we’ll focus on loving each other, then we’ll break out of the self-centeredness that often emerges during change. The love that conquers fear involves thinking about others instead of focusing on your own needs – and the more you love, the less you fear.

Listen to each other

During transition, we must be “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry …” (James 1:19) If we get the first two right (quick listening, slow speaking), then the third (slow anger) will become automatic. It reflects the concept of “seeking to understand” before trying “to be understood.”

“Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.” (James 1:19, MSG)

Level with each other

We must speak the truth in love to each other if we’re going to walk together through change. It is human nature to avoid confronting someone directly, but then we fall into problems – even gossip – by talking to other people about the person we need to confront.

We can’t get close to each other until we deal honestly with our fundamental differences. “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15)

Liberate each other

Finally, we need to show each other grace – “cut each other some slack” – during transition. Liberating each other means letting go and treating someone else the same way Jesus treats you.

In other words, we shouldn’t lean into legalism or lording mistakes over others. People will make mistakes, and our response should be to recognize that these things will happen. The goal is not to make those who make mistakes feel bad, but rather to let them get over it and move on.

Question: Who do you know that you could encourage through changes in their lives, and who could in return encourage you?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/02/08/rw_helping/

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by Vonette Bright

“Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” Ephesians 3:20

God has an amazing way of bringing people together!  Author Jeannie Taylor sent us this story.

A woman was talking on the phone with her lonely 19-year-old daughter, Amber, who was away at school.  It broke her mom’s heart.  As they talked, mom prayed for God to show her how she could help Amber.  After she hung up, the mom turned on the radio and heard Women Today!  That day featured Jeanie’s story about her son in Iraq.   Amber’s was also a military family.

The mom hesitantly wrote Jeanie.  It turned out that Amber attends school about a mile from Jeannie’s house!  She took Amber to her church where the ladies gave her lots of hugs and encouragement.  Amber’s mom was thrilled!

Yes, God and answered prayer, are amazing!

Jeannie St. John Taylor, Author/ Illustrator/ Speaker
Books include: Prayers for Troubled Times, AMG Publishers,
Does God Have a Job?, and Am I Making God Smile?, (Kregel Publishing)
http://www.jeanniestjohntaylor.com

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/02/08/vb_weaves/