Fwd: PCCWeb Daily Devotional
PCCWeb-Daily-Devotional.emlPosted by: masinick <masinick@...>
With all of the ups and downs of life, do you ever wonder if God really
loves you - (or if you are really in a deep funk of some kind, do you
question whether God or "a god" really exists)? Well, today's
devotional ought to set you straight on that.
What part of "No" don't you understand? There is nothing, NO, nothing,
that can separate us from the love that is in Christ Jesus. The apostle
Paul said it, and he comes to his crescendo after eight long chapters of
persuasion and discussion, first reminding us that we are needy, then
reminding us that every single one of us is a sinner (we do wrong),
then, in spite of all of that, reminds us that God is love, that He is
faithful, and before we ever breathed a breath, had a thought, or
performed a deed of any kind, good or bad, God took it all into account
and loved us. No, nothing at all can separate us from the love of God,
because Jesus Christ became human flesh - literally God in the flesh, to
live among us, die to show the depth of His love for us, forgive us of
all debt, making our slates pure and clean before God, redeeming us for
Himself.
What more could He possibly do to assure us of His love?
So if any of you are down - and I know that many people are unemployed
right now (myself included), and are hard pressed on many fronts.
Relationships have been broken, dreams have been shattered, yet the one
constant among all else around us is the love of God.
If you are not feeling loved for whatever reason, make sure that you are
reading the Bible. Become a student of the Bible. Read the letter of
Paul to the church at Rome - the book of Romans. Chapter 8 is a big
one, in terms of Christian theology, but so are chapters three, five,
six, eight, nine, ten, and twelve, but the entire long letter is
excellent. If you have not read the ENTIRE book of Romans this year, I
challenge you to open it TODAY. Read Chapter Eight today, then go back
and read the entire book between now and the end of this month. We
spend time doing SO MANY other things - browsing the Internet on the
computer, watching countless hours of television (I don't, at least not
any more, but I am guilty of plenty of other transgressions), some
people shop, but the bottom line is that we make those things the
priority in our lives. As far as I am concerned, spending even fifteen
minutes a day reading the Bible will allow you to read the entire Bible
once every couple of years, and you can read the entire Bible in a year
if you devote perhaps thirty minutes a day.
When so many people face so many issues, and fundamentally, they are the
result of our attitudes and thinking, a better investment than an annual
physical is a daily relationship with the One who knows more about our
bodies and our minds than we do - the One who created all things. The
Bible, written by men and women, but 100% inspired directly from the
Word of God - and that is why it is often referred to as "The Word of
God", contains the answer to every question that matters.
My question to you today then is this: Are you reading the Bible each
day? Do you believe it is the truth? Jesus Himself, in John 14:6,
says, "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No man cometh unto the
Father, but by me". That is because Jesus IS God, born into a human
body so that men could actually see Him and know Him. We are justified
through faith in Him. (Read Romans 5 to get the complete explanation,
and the preceding chapters for the complete context).
May the Word of God become so well known in your hearts that it becomes
a crucial part of who you are. It will guide every aspect of your
life. The assurance of salvation is found in the Word. Faith, hope,
and love are found in the Word. In short, it is what we need. I sure
need it, and I freely and openly acknowledge my need, and my hope is
fully met in Christ. How about you? Can you say something other than
"No" - hopefully "Yes, I am certain that Christ is The Way, He IS my
hope, and because of Him I know for certain that I have a home reserved
for me in Heaven". Is that you, or aren't you certain? If you are not,
the Word can give you faith, for "faith cometh by hearing and hearing by
the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). May that Word give you peace and
assurance today of who you are and where you are heading - one who is
deeply loved, fully accepted, completely forgiven, and bound for a
mansion, reserved for you in glory, where every tear will be wiped away,
where there is no longer pain and suffering, where we will give glory
and honor to God continually, and share with Jesus Christ in His glory!
Yours in Christ,
Brian
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