John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Grace: God giving me what I don’t deserve. Grace is not an attribute that we witness much on a daily basis. The world seems to teach give them only what you must. Many people say but he doesn’t deserve that. We don’t deserve salvation and yet, “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.” How often do we bestow grace upon others. Paul said it like this a few verses later in I Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Because of God’s grace bestowed upon us, we must labor more abundantly for the truths of God’s Word. How is your labor? Is it full of Grace and Truth? By Pastor David Rasnake
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Jesus’ disciples ask him a question, “Who Sinned.” We often times ask, “Why did God allow this to happen to us?” In the midst of trials and tragedies we sometimes lose focus and fail to recognize God’s purpose. Jesus responds back to His disciples, “That the works of God should be made manifest in him.” Things sometimes happen in our life, not because of wrong doing, but that God would be revealed and glorified.
Jesus finishes His teaching with two reminders that I think would serve us well today. “I must work… while it is day” Many questions are swirling in society today and as Christians we are reminded of the imminent, soon return of Jesus Christ for the Church. Are you working while it is day? Finally, Jesus reminds us, “I am the light of the world.” As Christians we are called to be the light and salt to a dark and sinful world. The message of salvation was clear in the life of Christ, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” John 14:6 How bright is your light, and how clear is your message? By Pastor David Rasnake Revelation 3:19 says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Today we live in a society that accepts apathy. There is no need to be a hard worker, just work enough to get by. Apathy is a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern. Verse 16 describes our society well, “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” God is not happy with the Laodicean church. As a result he rebukes and chastens them for their apathy. We learned yesterday that God will do the same to us. However, verse 19 exhorts us to be zealous. 1. We are to be zealous against sin. Zealous means to have great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective. We should pursue after righteousness and resist the temptation of the devil. 2. We should also be zealous toward service. As Christians we have been commanded to go and tell others. Are you apathetic toward the command that God has given you? We should all be found zealous toward the service that God has for us! Be Zealous and Repent By Pastor David Rasnake Revelation 3:19 says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” So who does God love? John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” By this we see that God loves everyone. These verses in Revelation chapter three are speaking to the church of Laodicea. God calls all men to trust in Him for salvation, and then God rebukes and chastens those that have followed Him. If you haven’t chosen to follow God, then God is simply convicting you of the sin that is causing separation between you and God. Place your faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ today. This morning we see God say, “Because I Love you I must correct the error of your ways.” Rebuke = To express sharp disapproval or criticism of someone. God, through the Holy Spirit, convicts us when we, as Christians, live our life in a way that displeases God. As believers we should desire to please God with our actions. How are you living for God today? Has God been rebuking you? Chasten = To have a restraining or moderating effect on. When we fail to heed the rebuke of God we will face the chastisement of God. Because God loves you He will eventually find a way to change the way you have chosen to live your life. As a good parent it is important to teach your children to make good decisions. We can tell them that what they are doing is bad, but at some point we must moderate the path that they are on. This can be in many different ways, but primarily it is to show them the error of their way, and for them to decide to change and do what is right. God’s chastening is to show us the error of our ways and cause us to desire to turn back to Him. If you aren’t living for God today, know that God will rebuke and chasten you because He loves you. By Pastor David Rasnake
I John 4:10 says, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
God gives us an example of what love is. It shows us here that God loved us when we had no desire for Him. In fact we have a debt that we owe God. We have all sinned against God’s law and there is a payment that must be made. God loved us so much that even when we violated His law, He sent His Son to be the payment for our debt. That debt was our life. Romans 6:23a says, “For the wages of sin is death;” God sacrificed when we had nothing to offer Him. Today, where is your love? Does the love of God abide in you? What will you sacrifice? By, Pastor David Rasnake God is our Refuge
Psalms 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Much of the last six weeks the world has recognized that they are in trouble. Unfortunately they are finding hope in their flesh rather than searching for our heavenly Father. Psalms 46 says that God is our refuge. Our place of shelter, safety, and protection. When the world around us is spiraling out of control God is our shelter in the time of need. Where do you find safety in the age of COVID-19? Have you found God? Are you trusting God? Make God your refuge and strength for today!! By, Pastor David Rasnake I Peter 2:24 says, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
Today doctors are looking for the cure to many different illnesses that we face. They learn what the illnesses does and then they determine the most effective way to limit or destroy the illness. All of mankind are afflicted by a universal illness called sin. The solution for this illness is easy. There is only one cure for this sickness and that is found in Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “by whose stripes ye were healed.” Today I have confidence over the sickness of sin. It can’t have victory in my life because Christ has completed the cure for your sins and mine. If you were to get sick with COVID-19 you would want to have a cure. How foolish would it be to reject the cure and die as a result? Yet much of the world is doing that very thing. The death rate without treatment is 100% and yet the survival rate of those who accept the treatment is also 100%. How is your spiritual health today? By Pastor David Rasnake Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
We are so easily distracted from the main focus in our life. We are to be seeking to serve the Lord Jesus Christ with the life he has blessed us with. Verse 34 continues by admonishing us not to worry about tomorrow. We are called to live for Christ today. In Jeremiah 29:13 it says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” As the nation of Israel was coming out of bondage they were called to seek after God. We should be seeking the Lord today. In verse 11 of Jeremiah 29 it says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” This was written in a different time and to a particular people but I believe the truth of this statement holds true for us today. The Lord we serve knows what is happening to us today. He is well aware of what we will face tomorrow, and I believe He is working it to an expected end. God is not surprised by our needs and circumstances, but desires to mold them to the conclusion that He desires for our life. Are you embracing the lessons of Covid-19 spiritually speaking? How will you be different spiritually after this is over? By Pastor David Rasnake Commit thy works! We have been asked to be committed to staying home, and stay safe. This is requiring us to do certain things with the expectation of success. Some people fill like if they commit to staying home much longer they will have to be committed. LOL!
Our Devotion For Today is talking about our commitment to God. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Today it is easy for our thoughts to lead us astray from the focus of our life. Monday we learned about the importance to keep our focus or vision on God. To know who God is and, as we learned yesterday, take time in our life to exalt His name. God deserves our praise and worship. Today we see where our focus can be confused. Our thoughts are not established by our circumstances. It says here that our thoughts shall be established by works being committed to the Lord. What does it mean to commit to something? Commit = Devote, Apply, Give, Bind these are some words that help us understand the act of commitment. In marriage, we are devoted to one another. We have made a commitment or vow that there is no other. Devotion is singular in its focus. Are my works a representation of my devotion to God? Is what I do in life singular in that it is to glorify God? I Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Apply, this reminds me of conversations with my mom as a middle and high schooler. “If you will apply yourself to your studies you can make better grades.” Luke 2:49 Jesus exclaimed to Mary and Joseph, “I must be about my Father’s business.” How much do we apply ourselves to the task that God has before us? Oh no the big ugly topic of conversation, GIVE. You understand commitment is expressed by that which is sacrificed for another. A great expression of a fathers love is when he steps away from the craziness of life and spends time playing soldiers with his son or having tea with his daughter. This sacrifice is an expression of his love and devotion to his children but also toward his wife. If we are committed to God what will we GIVE to God? Finally we see the word bind. June of 2006 I committed to my wife to love and to cherish her. When I married Amber that day our two became one. We were bound together in marriage. Are we spending our time trying to undo the bonds of God, or are we focused on our commitment to God? How are your works today? Are you committed to God or cheating on God? By Pastor David Rasnake Andrew Cuomo said, “The number is down because we brought the number down. God did not do that. Faith did not do that.” When reckless politicians fail to know who God is we find our selves in a trying place.
Psalms 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the Earth.” As we looked at the first half of this verse yesterday, we recognized the need to stop and know who God is. I pray that you will grow daily in your knowledge of who God is. The conclusion of the verse declares that God will be exalted. Exalted: Glorify, Praise, Revere, Worship Today God will be exalted among the heathen. How will you glorify the name of God above that of sinful men? How will you praise and worship God through your life today? The words of a politician mean nothing. The heathens of this world may blast and blaspheme the name of God, but God will be exalted. Glory belongs to our God! Praise belongs to our God! Worship belongs to our God! How will you exalt God today? by Pastor David Rasnake |
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Madera Baptist Church Devotion for todayThis will be a devotional thought. It may be from different sources as we progress and we will be attempting to have content for each day. Please let us know how these might impact your life. ArchivesCategories |