Devotionals

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    Daily Devotionals
    by Peter Kennedy:

    Devotional - God's Love For Us

    Posted by Peter Kennedy on Tuesday Apr 24, 2018 under Devotions In Jeremiah and Lamentations

    “Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” – Lamentations 3:22-23

    Vietnam veteran and Air Force Colonel John Mansur told about an eight-year-old orphan girl who was wounded after a misdirected mortar attack. An American Navy doctor and nurse were called. They surmised that the little girl would die if a blood transfusion did not take place.

    A quick test showed that neither American had the correct type, but several of the uninjured orphans did.

    The doctor spoke some pidgin Vietnamese, and the nurse a smattering of high-school French. Using that combination, together with much impromptu sign language, they tried to explain to their young, frightened audience that unless they could replace some of the girl's lost blood, she would certainly die. Then they asked if anyone would be willing to give blood to help.

    Their request was met with wide-eyed silence. After several long moments, a small hand slowly and waveringly went up, dropped back down, and then went up again.

    "Oh, thank you," the nurse said in French. "What is your name?"

    "Heng," came the reply.

    Heng was quickly laid on a pallet, his arm swabbed with alcohol, and a needle inserted in his vein. Through this ordeal Heng lay stiff and silent. After a moment, he let out a shuddering sob, quickly covering his face with his free hand. His occasional sobs gave way to steady, silent crying, his eyes screwed tightly shut, his fist in his mouth to stifle his sobs.

    The medical team was concerned. Something was obviously very wrong. At this point, a Vietnamese nurse arrived to help. Seeing the little one's distress, she spoke to him rapidly in Vietnamese, listened to his reply and answered him in a soothing voice.

    After a moment, the patient stopped crying and looked questioningly at the Vietnamese nurse. When she nodded, a look of great relief spread over his face.

    Glancing up, the nurse said quietly to the Americans, "He thought he was dying. He misunderstood you. He thought you had asked him to give ALL his blood so the little girl could live."

    "But why would he be willing to do that?" asked the Navy nurse.

    The Vietnamese nurse repeated the question to the little boy, who answered simply, "She's my friend."

    That's a glimpse of the kind of incredible, incomprehensible love God has for us.

    God deeply loves each of us.

    Today in prayer, praise Jesus and remember God’s love for you throughout your day.

    "His purpose in sending Jesus into the world was to show his love and to draw men to himself." - Merrill C. Tenney

    God’s Word: “But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” – Psalm 86:15

    By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail
    DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS
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    From Our Daily Bread:

    Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.—Psalm 37:7

    “Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite. Or waiting around for Friday night . . . . Everyone is just waiting”—or so Dr. Seuss, author of many children’s books, says.

    So much of life is about waiting, but God is never in a hurry—or so it seems. “God has His hour and delay,” suggests an old, reliable saying. Thus we wait.

    Waiting is hard. We twiddle our thumbs, shuffle our feet, stifle our yawns, heave long sighs, and fret inwardly in frustration. Why must I live with this awkward person, this tedious job, this embarrassing behavior, this health issue that will not go away? Why doesn’t God come through?

    God’s answer: “Wait awhile and see what I will do.”

    Waiting is one of life’s best teachers for in it we learn the virtue of . . . well, waiting—waiting while God works in us and for us. It’s in waiting that we develop endurance, the ability to trust God’s love and goodness, even when things aren’t going our way (Psalm 70:5).

    But waiting is not dreary, teeth-clenched resignation. We can “rejoice and be glad in [Him]” while we wait (v. 4). We wait in hope, knowing that God will deliver us in due time—in this world or in the next.

    God is never in a hurry, but He’s always on time. —David H. Roper

    Dear Lord, thank You for Your loving presence. Help us to make the most of our waiting through trust in and service for You.

    God is with us in our waiting.

    INSIGHT: David wrote Psalm 70 (a song of lament or complaint) from a place of waiting. He waited for God to deliver him, to save him from “those who want to take [his] life” and “desire [his] ruin” (vv. 1-2). We don’t know the setting and circumstances of this lament, but we do know that for years David ran from King Saul and his army who wished to kill him (1 Samuel 19:1-2, 11; 20:30-33; 21:10-15; 23:15). David also waited for years to rule Israel, even though the prophet Samuel had anointed him king while David (Jesse’s youngest son) still watched his father’s sheep and Saul still reigned (16:1-13). We see Psalm 70 stated (in slightly different words) in Psalm 40:11-17. Though David waited for deliverance—and endured hardship as he did—he was still able to exclaim wholeheartedly, “The Lord is great!” (40:16; 70:4) and “You are my help and my deliverer” (40:17; 70:5).

    When have you cried out to God, longing for Him to rescue you from a difficult situation? How can you praise Him as you wait?
    —Alyson Kieda
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    25 Apr '18 07:311 edit
    Another attention seeking spam dump thread.
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    25 Apr '18 07:45
    From In Touch Ministries:

    What brings you comfort when you are suffering or going through stressful times? Although well-meaning friends may assure you that everything will be all right, the person who truly comforts is the one who puts an arm around your shoulder and says, “I’m familiar with the pain you are feeling, and I know it hurts.”

    Jesus is that kind of comforter for us. He came to earth as a human, experienced pain and suffering, and faced temptation without giving in to sin. He comes alongside to help us by being ...

    Our Friend. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus isn’t a companion in word only; He demonstrated that He is the best possible friend because He willingly went to the cross to save us from our sins. He sacrificed Himself for us so we could be with Him forever.

    Our High Priest. He became the Mediator between holy God and sinful mankind by offering His own blood as a sacrifice to reconcile us to the Father. Now we have immediate access to God in time of need.

    Our Intercessor. Jesus sits at the Father’s right hand, interceding for us. We don’t always pray correctly, but what a comfort to know that the One who is perfect speaks to the Father on our behalf.

    On whom do you lean during difficult times? Although people may disappoint us with quick-fix responses to our hurt, Jesus Christ understands our pain and offers unlimited compassion and help when we come to Him.
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    25 Apr '18 07:532 edits
    Originally posted by @romans1009
    From In Touch Ministries:

    What brings you comfort when you are suffering or going through stressful times? Although well-meaning friends may assure you that everything will be all right, the person who truly comforts is the one who puts an arm around your shoulder and says, “I’m familiar with the pain you are feeling, and I know it hurts.”

    Jesus is ...[text shortened]... Jesus Christ understands our pain and offers unlimited compassion and help when we come to Him.
    It is currently about 5am in the morning where you claim to live. What time do you have to get up for your aledged job Romans1009?

    Looks like you were offline from midnight to 7am UK time. Seems a bit of an odd sleeping time for someone living in the US.
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    26 Apr '18 05:03
    Daily Devotionals
    by Peter Kennedy:

    Devotional - Hope In The Lord
    Posted by Peter Kennedy on Wednesday Apr 25, 2018 under Devotions In Jeremiah and Lamentations

    “The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him” – Lamentations 3:25

    In an article entitled “Hope in God in Hopeless Times,” Pastor Jack Wellman writes the following about Sovereign Hope:

    “‘But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.’- Psalm 39:7 When we look to ourselves, our employer, our retirement fund, or our inheritance, we cannot fully hope with 100% certainty. But what do we look for when our Hope is in God? We know that even our employer’s decisions are in God’s sovereign hands.

    Proverbs 21:1 says, ‘The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.’ The king thinks he might be in charge, or the boss might think he or she is making their own decision, but in God’s sovereignty, they do nothing that is not in God’s divine plan for us. They are subject to the Lord’s will whether they know it or not.”

    Jesus Christ wants every heart to put their hopes in Him. Today in prayer, thank the Lord that He does not disappoint those who place their hope in Christ.

    "To those who have learned to love and trust Jesus, the prospect of meeting him face to face and being with him forever is the hope that keeps us going, no matter what life may throw at us." - James I. Packer

    God’s Word: “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” – Micah 7:7

    By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail
    DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS
  7. R
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    26 Apr '18 05:32
    From Our Daily Bread:

    The pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.—Matthew 6:32

    It is pitch dark when Ah-pi starts her day. Others in the village will wake up soon to make their way to the rubber plantation. Harvesting latex is one of the main sources of income for people living in Hongzhuang Village, China. To collect as much latex as possible, the trees must be tapped very early in the morning, before daybreak. Ah-pi will be among the rubber tappers, but first she will spend time communing with God.

    Ah-pi’s father, husband, and only son have passed away, and she—with her daughter-in-law—is providing for an elderly mother and two young grandsons. Her story reminds me of another widow in the Bible who trusted God.

    The widow’s husband had died and left her in debt (2 Kings 4:1). In her distress, she looked to God for help by turning to His servant Elisha. She believed that God cared and that He could do something about her situation. And God did. He provided miraculously for the dire needs of this widow (vv. 5-6).

    This same God also provided for Ah-pi—though less miraculously—through the toil of her hands, the produce from the ground, and gifts from His people.

    Though life can make various demands on us, we can always draw strength from God. We can entrust our cares to Him, do all we can, and let Him amaze us with what He can do with our situation. —Poh Fang Chia

    Father, thank You for Your patience when I trust in my own resources and turn to You only as a last resort.

    Teach me to seek Your help in all I do.

    We may face situations beyond our reserves, but never beyond God’s resources.

    INSIGHT: Can you remember a time when you thought that without a miracle you might not make it?

    The Old Testament story of Elijah and Elisha speaks to such fears and the need for faith. Through signs and wonders Elijah called a nation back to its God (1 Kings 18:21, 38-39). Elisha, in turn, inspired hope by miraculously purifying water, multiplying food, and raising the dead.

    This is the backstory that according to the New Testament was preparing the way for Jesus. With echoes of Elisha, Jesus filled the stomachs of more than 5,000 hungry people with a little boy’s lunch (Matthew 14:15-21).

    Are you troubled by overwhelming needs that keep you awake at night? How does reflecting on God’s miraculous power give you hope?
    —Mart DeHaan
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    Life is a roller coaster

    Ronan Keating.
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    26 Apr '18 23:25
    Originally posted by @divegeester
    Life is a roller coaster

    Ronan Keating.
    Do you ever spend time with the Lord?

    Or are you too busy castigating those who do?
  10. Standard memberSecondSon
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    26 Apr '18 23:28
    Originally posted by @divegeester
    Another attention seeking spam dump thread.
    Another trollish comment from the mezzanine.
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    26 Apr '18 23:31
    Originally posted by @secondson
    Another trollish comment from the mezzanine.
    What have you made of these past three months of Romans1009's "trollish" comments? I can't remember you commenting on them.
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    27 Apr '18 07:21
    I don't knwo what it is but there's something that really rubs me the wrong way about people deciding to like... mass downvote anything that someone does.
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    27 Apr '18 07:46
    Originally posted by @philokalia
    I don't knwo what it is but there's something that really rubs me the wrong way about people deciding to like... mass downvote anything that someone does.
    Whoever's doing it, it's probably a reflection of their estimation of Romans1009 who, more than any other Christian in this community that I can remember in years and years, probably deserves the RHP Andres Serrano Award. You, however, having recently endorsed him as ~ in your estimation ~ the 'best high volume regular poster on the Spirituality Forum', will presumably not have given him any thumbs down.
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    27 Apr '18 08:13
    Originally posted by @fmf
    What have you made of these past three months of Romans1009's "trollish" comments? I can't remember you commenting on them.
    What have you made of the past 10 years of Divegeester's "trollish" comments? I can't remember you commenting on them.
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    27 Apr '18 08:29
    Originally posted by @secondson
    Do you ever spend time with the Lord?

    Or are you too busy castigating those who do?
    You mean like calling them trolls?
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