2 Corinthians 2:3 "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ"
To all of you, my friends and family, who have stuck with me this last year and a half, I hope that in some way you have been encouraged or ministered to in some way. My prayer is that a seed of hope will have somehow been planted in your heart that will bring strength in time of need. Today will be my last devotion and I just wanted to share with all of you the love that I have for you..and the fact that I am so greatful for each and every one of you.
The verse today is one of my favorites in scripture..probably because I feel every day, I am living it. The Corinthians pure and simple devotion to the Lord Jesus was being threatened by false teaching. Paul did not want these precious believers to lose their single-minded love for Christ...so he gave this warning..that just as Eve had been tricked..or deceived in such a subtle way...so can we be.
In the last few years, I have seen things that I thought I would never see. I have seen some of the precious children of God literally being led astray, from the simplicity that is in Christ. All of us in this busy day and age have so many distractions in our lives that it truly can be difficult to stay focused..simply, on Him. The Corinthian believers fell for smooth talk and messages that sounded good and seemed to make sense...and today, things have not changed much. There are many false teachings that seem to truly hold water..but that is simply not the case.
My prayer, as I leave you, is that you would follow truth...and when in doubt..go to the living Word of God. Paul's words further down in this passage are very eye opening.."For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ..and no marvel; for satan himself is transformed into an angel of light". Satan, the prince of darkness, disguises himself as an angel of light..and he can deceive us by appearing helpful, good, and even moral.
May each of you know Him. May you be as the Bereans were..checking for yourselves into the Word of God, which is alive, quick, and powerful.and is sharper than any two edged sword. May you continue to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might...and may you know the love of Christ that neither life, nor death, nor any other creature might be able to separate you from. May your minds be clear, and solid. May you know what you believe and stand firmly. And may you trust deeply in the One Who laid down His life for you.
In the future, I hope you will all check out my blog..I will continue from time to time, to write and do devotions..it wont be a daily thing..but I hope you will check it out. Thank you all. I love you. He loves you. Don't ever forget it.
For when we were yet without strength, yet in due time Christ died for the ungodly
Romans 5:6-8 "For when we were yet without strength, yet in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarecely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man some would even dare to die, but God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justifed by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life"
Today, my prayer for each of you is simply that you will take the thoughts in these verses with you as you go through your weekend. While you were YET sinners, Christ died for you...not because you were good enough..but because God loved you enough. My hope is simply that each of us would meditate this weekend on these verses. I promise that if you do, you will be strengthened in your spirit. God bless all of you
Today, my prayer for each of you is simply that you will take the thoughts in these verses with you as you go through your weekend. While you were YET sinners, Christ died for you...not because you were good enough..but because God loved you enough. My hope is simply that each of us would meditate this weekend on these verses. I promise that if you do, you will be strengthened in your spirit. God bless all of you
He will change your heart
Luke 19:8 "Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Look Lord, I have given half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold' "
Zaccaeus was a tax collector. He was despised because he was a deceitful man, cheating people out of their money, and being dishonest. Often tax collectors made themselves rich by gouging their fellow Jews.
One day, Jesus visited Zaccaeus. The Bible makes no mention of Jesus rebuking him for his dishonest lifestyle. Instead, Jesus showed him grace by actually spending time with him. Before long, Zaccaeus stood up and declared to Jesus that he would restore fourfold to anyone he had taken from illegally, and he would even give half of his goods to the poor.
Time spent with Jesus completely changed Zaccaeus' heart. A moment with our Lord can change us too. Without accusation, condemnation or judgment, Jesus helped bring about an inward transformation in a short time in the life of Zaccaeus..so that he began to outwardly do what was right, and in a measure that no man would have expected of him.
Most of us truly want to live right. Sometimes that concern with right living can really turn our focus inward..on ourselves..and with the things that we struggle with. I remember a certain thing that I struggled with years ago. I would wake up in the morning and tell myself that today I wasn't going to fall short in that area. I was so focused on me, that I seemed to lose focus of the power of God in my life..and I really struggled for a long time.
I have truly come to the conclusion that it is right believing that produces right living. If you are trying to break free from something that has bound you for years, spend time with the One Who can change a heart in an instant. Pray, and ask for His help..and then ask Him to help you to simply believe that He loves you..that He cares..that He is good, and wants good for you..that He has a plan for your life..that He has paid the price for you to be free and whole.
Today, if you want to experience right living, find out what Christ has done for you and what you have in Him..and simply believe it.
Zaccaeus was a tax collector. He was despised because he was a deceitful man, cheating people out of their money, and being dishonest. Often tax collectors made themselves rich by gouging their fellow Jews.
One day, Jesus visited Zaccaeus. The Bible makes no mention of Jesus rebuking him for his dishonest lifestyle. Instead, Jesus showed him grace by actually spending time with him. Before long, Zaccaeus stood up and declared to Jesus that he would restore fourfold to anyone he had taken from illegally, and he would even give half of his goods to the poor.
Time spent with Jesus completely changed Zaccaeus' heart. A moment with our Lord can change us too. Without accusation, condemnation or judgment, Jesus helped bring about an inward transformation in a short time in the life of Zaccaeus..so that he began to outwardly do what was right, and in a measure that no man would have expected of him.
Most of us truly want to live right. Sometimes that concern with right living can really turn our focus inward..on ourselves..and with the things that we struggle with. I remember a certain thing that I struggled with years ago. I would wake up in the morning and tell myself that today I wasn't going to fall short in that area. I was so focused on me, that I seemed to lose focus of the power of God in my life..and I really struggled for a long time.
I have truly come to the conclusion that it is right believing that produces right living. If you are trying to break free from something that has bound you for years, spend time with the One Who can change a heart in an instant. Pray, and ask for His help..and then ask Him to help you to simply believe that He loves you..that He cares..that He is good, and wants good for you..that He has a plan for your life..that He has paid the price for you to be free and whole.
Today, if you want to experience right living, find out what Christ has done for you and what you have in Him..and simply believe it.
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