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 Luke 9:28-29 (NIV) About eight days after Jesus said this, He took Peter, John and James with Him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. |
Am I Still On The Mountain? Picture this: We are on a mountain with Jesus. He is telling us of God's heart. The day is sunny and warm, with just enough of a breeze to make it ever so pleasant. Our hearts feel the love of God pouring into them and the joy makes us want to laugh and cry at the same time. The earthly world seems so far away and unimportant. There is no schedule to keep, no pressure to succeed, no worries on the horizon. Why would we ever want to leave the mountain?  To me, the
above scenario gives insight to the character of Jesus. Not only how much He
loves us, but also how much He loves the Father. He left a place of such
peace to come to us. To come down from heaven to show us the way to the
Father's heart! We must be willing to also leave our peaceful places of
comfort and to stretch our hand out to those who do not know or cannot hear
the love of God. If no one had been willing to stretch that hand out to me,
I would not be here. Would you?I have
searched my heart today and found it wanting. I thought I knew Jesus. I
thought I was committed to Him, but now realize I am not as committed as I
want to be. Even though I am grateful Jesus died for me, I do not believe I
ever fully realized how committed God was to me. Jesus left a place where He
was King of all! A place that was peaceful with limitless joy! And He left
it for me - and for you. Think of it! Would you be willingly to give up so
much in order to help someone find their way to Father God? Prayer Lord, thank you for loving us so much that You came to be our light in the darkest of times and to show us the way to eternal life. I pray that we may come off our mountains to show someone else the way to You, Father. I pray that I will not hesitate to speak of Your love or to show Your love to anyone who does not know You. In Your Name I pray. . Additional Scripture Luke 9:1-3
Deborah Bricker
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NOTE: This page contains 5 devotions. Pick
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| Mark 10:38 Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? |
The Hats Of Jesus The world has put many different hats upon Jesus. To some he remains a paper cut-out that can stick onto a felt board, as I learned about as a child. He teaches us, but is distant and inanimate. Jesus can also be an air freshener that hangs from our car’s rear view mirror as we look at the traffic behind us. This Jesus smells nice and makes us feel good. Still to others, Jesus is a piece of jewelry. It is fashionable to be associated with this Jesus. Jesus, indeed, is many things to many people. Quite a busy man to have so many hats to wear! Sometimes
I think of Jesus in such ways. I want Him to take care of me, but I don’t
really want to have my way of life threatened. And then I am reminded of the
real Jesus. He was the one who wore the painful hat. It was made of thorns.
This Jesus has pain on His face. This Jesus is not comfortable. This Jesus
reminds me that if I choose to live for God, then I must be willing to lose
some things so that I can gain everything. The Jesus with the hat of thorns
calls us to give all that we have. I can follow Him because He led the way.Prayer Lord, take me. I must be willing to give up some things in this life so that I can have everything. My life is about Your kingdom. I need You to fill me. Lead the way. Amen. Additional Scripture Luke 9:57-62; Mark 15:16-20
Jim Schul |
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| Matthew 16:17-18 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven." |
Who Do You Say That I Am? In biblical times, people thought Jesus was many things. Herod was confused because of all the different reports about him. Some thought He was Elijah, or a prophet of old come back to life, even John the Baptist reincarnated. To His followers, His question was, "Who do YOU say that I am?" Only Peter confessed his conviction: ". . the Christ of God." In order
to know who Christ is, we need a revelation from God. We cannot discern from
intellect alone, nor emotions, or even simple logic, who this man was. We
need for it to be revealed to our souls. When asking yourself who Jesus
is…go to God. Ask Him. He is not offended by our questions. He is able to
withstand the deepest scrutiny into the facts. But you will not know Him by
fact alone. He will reveal himself to you, and THEN you will know Him.Today, to
many He is still just a prophet or a good man and a teacher, one of many.
Jesus never claimed to be any of those things. He claimed to be God for He
said: I and the Father are one. (John 10:30) Anyone who has seen me has seen
the Father. (John 14:9) So was Jesus deluded? Mentally ill? A liar? A con?
Or is He Lord? Ask! Seek! Knock!Prayer Lord, it’s so confusing today. So many religions claim to have the truth. How can we know for certain who You are? I ask you for a revelation, Lord. Reveal to me the One true God. The Name that is above all others. Give me supernatural discernment so that I can distinguish what is truth. Give me faith that I may believe and follow The Christ. Help me through your Holy Spirit as I examine Scripture to seek your wisdom and truth through your word. Your word says that Jesus is the Christ, the Beginning and the End. Author and Finisher. The Life, the Way, the Truth. Reveal yourself to my mind, my heart and my soul, and help me to believe. Thank You that you are glad to reveal your Son. That you desire it even more than we do, and it is in His name I ask these things. Amen. Additional Scripture Matthew 7:7; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Revelation 1:8
Lisa Sowry
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| Luke 9: 28 About eight days later, Jesus took Peter, James and John to a mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothing became dazzling white. Then two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. |
When Will He Appear To Us? Does it ever seem as though some people have to bear all of the sadness, all of the pain, while others just have life made in the shade? Today I was thinking about all of those brave people of Rockaway, New York, who have been impacted not only by the events of September 11, but now by this recent plane crash. I heard that one man narrowly escaped the World Trade Center collapse only to be killed when the plane crashed into his home. Surely that person had some purpose that was yet to be revealed on September 11. That is why we are all here, to serve the Lord's purpose. We will
all eventually face death, face sickness, sadness and pain in one form or
another. What will distinguish us in the long run is how we have dealt with
life’s ups and downs. When times were good, did we appreciate it? Did we
tell our families we loved them? Did we turn our faces to the sun and feel
its bright warmth, lay down in the grass, or stick our tongues out to catch
snowflakes? Did we get on our knees every day and thank the Lord? When times
were bad, did we do the same thing? The only difference between us and the
people I've mentioned is that those people got to see the Savior’s
illuminated face a little sooner.Prayer Lord, let us use each moment, each day, to our fullest potential. Let us enjoy all of the gifts you have so generously given us and see that there is beauty even in the direst of our days. Give us the wisdom to know when things are serious and when they are the "little things." Forgive us of our sins and let us forgive others. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Additional Scripture Matthew 6:9-13; Ephesians 6:18; I Thessalonians 5:16-18
Ruth Moorman
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| I Corinthians 10:16 (The New Living Translation) When we bless the cup at the Lord's Table, aren't we sharing in the benefits of the blood of Christ? And when we break the loaf of bread, aren't we sharing in the benefits of the body of Christ? . |
Teach The Children It was my time again to write a sermon related devotion for my church's website. As I had taken plenty of notes during the sermon, I had a variety of subjects to choose from. But when I saw what happening in front of me, my notes went out the window and my theme became set. During the
communion service, a little boy and his mother waited in line to partake of
the sacraments. I had already received communion and had sat down and was
able to see everything that occurred. The boy, perhaps 4 to 5 years old,
stopped in front of the servant holding the offering cup into which he could
dip his torn piece of bread. But he looked puzzled and did not seem to know
what to do next. (Maybe this was his first time at communion?) However, the
server took the time and bent down to the child’s level and spoke a few
words to him. I couldn't hear what was said, but from observing the
instructor, I witnessed a kind and thoughtful teaching from a senior to a
child.Throughout
the Bible, you will find many thoughts and ideas on and about Christianity,
but the act of doing makes it a reality. It is the one-on-one example of
servitude that touches others and provides the hands and feet of Jesus that
we are supposed to be.
Prayer Dear Lord, make my wants and desires take on action on my part as I go forth in sharing the Good News with the world today. In the name of your Son Jesus I pray. Amen. Additional Scripture John 15:4-5; Luke 11:13; Luke 12:12
Rod McKenzie
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