BBD 04.03.17 Begin Again - Part 3

#1 · April 2, 2017, 11:33 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on April 2, 2017, 11:33 pm
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2009

Burning Bush Devotional

03 April 2017

Begin
Again – Part 3

Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable (…stand firm. Let nothing move
you. - NIV), always abounding (Always give yourselves fully - NIV) in the work
of the Lord, knowing (because you know - NIV) that your labor is not in vain in
the Lord. - 1 Corinthians 15:58 NKJV.

The apostle Paul gives us some direction as to how to continue to move forward
with life, beginning again and again. Those directions are given in 1
Corinthians 15:58. The first instruction that Paul gives us is to “…stand
firm. Let nothing move you….” The second instruction is “…give
yourselves fully to the work of the Lord….” Why
should we do that? Why should we stand firm? Why should we let nothing move us?
Why should we always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord? “…because
you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

I am reminded of a verse in Isaiah 55:11 about
God's Word that says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My
mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” God says
in Isaiah that His Word will not go forth in vain, His Word will accomplish
His purpose. The apostle Paul is saying the same thing about our labor, our
work for the Lord. Our labor for the Lord will not be in vain, it will
accomplish its purpose, it will accomplish what God means for it to bring
about, and it will prosper.

Beginning again can be so very difficult. I have often pondered some of the
challenges of the great missionaries like William Carey, who was a missionary
to India in the early 1800s. He was also an intellectual giant and was busy
translating the Bible into many of the various languages present in India. For
ten years Carey had labored in those translations, he had established a print
shop to print the translations, and it was in that print shop that he kept all
of his work. On March 11, 1812 disaster struck in the form of a fire that
destroyed the print shop and all of the work of Carey and others. Ten years of
work gone!

How do you begin again? How do you stand firm and not let something like this
move you? How do you continue on to give yourself fully to the work of the Lord
in the face of a disaster like this? How do you do it? Carey began again, and
found that he could do the work of translation even better the second time, and
because of the publicity about the disaster funds were more than adequate. It
is reported in one biography of Carey that he translated and published the New
Testament in more than 30 Indian languages and dialects. What does Romans 8:28 say? “And we
know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who
are the called according to His purpose.”

William Carey not only began again giving himself fully to the work of the
Lord, but he went further than he had gone before. His translations were better
the second time, and he translated the Scripture into far more languages than
before. He stood firm, he did not let this move him, and God brought about His
purpose in spite of a disaster that would have stopped so many of us in our
tracks.

What challenge are you facing? Are you coming to an end of one phase of your
life, with a new one ahead? Have you experienced tragedy, disaster, pain,
illness - how do you go on? You go on; you begin again by standing firm in your
faith, by letting nothing move you away from your full devotion to the Lord.
You go on; you begin again by giving yourself fully, totally, completely to the
work of the Lord.

Don't settle for anything less, than the very best that God has for you. Begin
again, stand firm, let nothing move you from what God has for you. Move
forward, give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because it will not be in
vain, it will accomplish its purpose, it will not come back void.

Let us begin again!

Copyright © 2009 - 2017. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of those
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating
18 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000
subscribers across the world.

The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now
available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat
your addiction that actually work.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM

The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

Books now available at the Burning Bush website:

New Pastor's
Training Manual

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Substance Abuse

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Sexual Addictions In Times of
Trouble - Devotionals to Encourage and Strengthen You (Also available for
download on Amazon.)

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the
Devotionals at the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of
the home page. Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for
healing for Pastor Shane Hall, Michelle Abetz, Brad, Damon D. & wife, Beverly
(Jeanie’s sister), Lexi McCalip, Gary Kirk, and Jeanie.

Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My
prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the
apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

If you enjoy the devotional
please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

You can help support this
ministry by using this link: www.paypal.me/EdWrather

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2009

Burning Bush Devotional

03 April 2017

Begin
Again – Part 3

Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable (…stand firm. Let nothing move
you. - NIV), always abounding (Always give yourselves fully - NIV) in the work
of the Lord, knowing (because you know - NIV) that your labor is not in vain in
the Lord. - 1 Corinthians 15:58 NKJV.

The apostle Paul gives us some direction as to how to continue to move forward
with life, beginning again and again. Those directions are given in 1
Corinthians 15:58. The first instruction that Paul gives us is to “…stand
firm. Let nothing move you….” The second instruction is “…give
yourselves fully to the work of the Lord….” Why
should we do that? Why should we stand firm? Why should we let nothing move us?
Why should we always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord? “…because
you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

I am reminded of a verse in Isaiah 55:11 about
God's Word that says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My
mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” God says
in Isaiah that His Word will not go forth in vain, His Word will accomplish
His purpose. The apostle Paul is saying the same thing about our labor, our
work for the Lord. Our labor for the Lord will not be in vain, it will
accomplish its purpose, it will accomplish what God means for it to bring
about, and it will prosper.

Beginning again can be so very difficult. I have often pondered some of the
challenges of the great missionaries like William Carey, who was a missionary
to India in the early 1800s. He was also an intellectual giant and was busy
translating the Bible into many of the various languages present in India. For
ten years Carey had labored in those translations, he had established a print
shop to print the translations, and it was in that print shop that he kept all
of his work. On March 11, 1812 disaster struck in the form of a fire that
destroyed the print shop and all of the work of Carey and others. Ten years of
work gone!

How do you begin again? How do you stand firm and not let something like this
move you? How do you continue on to give yourself fully to the work of the Lord
in the face of a disaster like this? How do you do it? Carey began again, and
found that he could do the work of translation even better the second time, and
because of the publicity about the disaster funds were more than adequate. It
is reported in one biography of Carey that he translated and published the New
Testament in more than 30 Indian languages and dialects. What does Romans 8:28 say? “And we
know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who
are the called according to His purpose.”

William Carey not only began again giving himself fully to the work of the
Lord, but he went further than he had gone before. His translations were better
the second time, and he translated the Scripture into far more languages than
before. He stood firm, he did not let this move him, and God brought about His
purpose in spite of a disaster that would have stopped so many of us in our
tracks.

What challenge are you facing? Are you coming to an end of one phase of your
life, with a new one ahead? Have you experienced tragedy, disaster, pain,
illness - how do you go on? You go on; you begin again by standing firm in your
faith, by letting nothing move you away from your full devotion to the Lord.
You go on; you begin again by giving yourself fully, totally, completely to the
work of the Lord.

Don't settle for anything less, than the very best that God has for you. Begin
again, stand firm, let nothing move you from what God has for you. Move
forward, give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because it will not be in
vain, it will accomplish its purpose, it will not come back void.

Let us begin again!

Copyright © 2009 - 2017. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of those
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating
18 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000
subscribers across the world.

The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now
available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat
your addiction that actually work.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM

The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

Books now available at the Burning Bush website:

New Pastor's
Training Manual

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Substance Abuse

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Sexual Addictions In Times of
Trouble - Devotionals to Encourage and Strengthen You (Also available for
download on Amazon.)

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the
Devotionals at the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of
the home page. Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for
healing for Pastor Shane Hall, Michelle Abetz, Brad, Damon D. & wife, Beverly
(Jeanie’s sister), Lexi McCalip, Gary Kirk, and Jeanie.

Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My
prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the
apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

If you enjoy the devotional
please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

You can help support this
ministry by using this link: http://www.paypal.me/EdWrather

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org