Thursday Devotional - God Notices and Rewards

We talked last week about especially loving and helping fellow believers. Not only can it attract non-believers, but God notices and will reward it.

Matthew 10:42      ⁴² And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

Hebrews 6:10-12  ¹⁰ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. ¹¹ We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. ¹² We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

God notices and promises to reward those who love and help fellow believers.

I was thinking how much joy I get watching my kids help each other, hug each other, give gifts to each other, especially when it’s their own idea. Last week, they both wanted to give a Valentine to each other. Sarah filled out a card for James while he was at school and James ordered a “candy” card from school for Sarah with his own money!

Similarly, God is pleased when we love, help and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ! We love on Him as we love on each other.

How will you and I show love to God by helping or encouraging a fellow believer this week?

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Loving Believers

We all know we are to love one another. It’s often easier said than done. Sometimes it’s even extremely difficult to love fellow believers in our churches. However, I think those are the very people God especially wants us to love and help.  

When Jesus gave His new command to the disciples in John 13, I think He was specifically referring to them loving each other as disciples. They were quite a unique bunch of misfits!

John 13:33-35     ³³ “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

If we have love for one another as believers, that can be attractive to outsiders. Sadly, outsiders often see the quarrels and divisions within the church and don’t want any part of it!

Let’s not be a part of that trend, but let’s allow the Holy Spirit to help us reverse it! What fellow believer will you and I especially love this week? Maybe it’s by giving a helping hand, a note of encouragement, or genuine prayers for their spiritual growth.  

Let’s love each other well!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Daily Encouragement

God gives us each other to help encourage us and to stay accountable to follow God’s Word. If we aren’t careful, we can be easily misled. Having godly people around us daily is important.  

Hebrews 3:12-15 ¹² See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³ But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. ¹⁴ We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. ¹⁵ As has just been said:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts
    as you did in the rebellion.”

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I usually do my quiet time and Bible study during Sarah’s nap in the afternoon. Well, this past Sunday, I didn’t do that. Joe, James and I were talking in the living room together instead. Then, after the kids went to bed, I wanted to look up some of the Michigan ski deals. However, since Joe was doing Bible study, I did my Bible study first and then had a few minutes to do some research.

We need people around us daily to encourage us in the right direction. (I’m daily encouraged by the other devotional writers and those that comment with additional insight!) We can also be that encouragement to others. Who can you and I encourage today to hear God’s voice?

Alice

Thurs Devo: Jesus Reigns!

Often it is hard for me to keep it in perspective that this life isn’t all there is. Jesus will return, destroy evil, judge the ungodly, reward believers, and righteously reign for all eternity! 

Revelation 11:15-19  ¹⁵ The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
    the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
    and he will reign for ever and ever.”

¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,¹⁷ saying:

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
    the One who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
    and have begun to reign.
¹⁸ The nations were angry,
    and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
    and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your people who revere your name,
    both great and small—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹ Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.

Evil seems to prevail now, the ungodly rewarded and believers oppressed, but that will all change in a moment.

Do you and I think others are thwarting God? Or do you and I truly believe God will reign forever? How will you and I let that change our perspective on life today?

Alice