The Presence of the Lord is Our Great Reward

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. - Ephesians 2:8

Shared in the post “Immanuel” was the purpose of the tent of meeting which was to have a place where people could meet with God. The Lord’s presence back then and today is our great reward.

In present times, believers can meet with God at any time or any place because of Christ’s atonement of sins on the Cross. This day with God, rejoice in this great gift of God that has been given to us. 

The thoughts shared above can turn a bad day into a good one. Suddenly, our attitude changes because we realize that God is with us at any time or any place. We can watch videos and listen to inspiring music like this: Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli.

Each day we can build memories. We can take pictures of His Creation like an amazing rainbow stretching from one end of the sky to the next. We can use technology to take virtual vacations by using the Internet. We can share with others around the world that God is with us today. 

Index of devotionals

Hunting for Spiritual Food

I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. – John 17:4

In the post “Detailed Instructions”, are thoughts about the specific instructions for the offerings made in order to consecrate priests. Today, we identify with Christ as our sin offering and the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Since Christ came and died on the Cross, we have a direct relationship with God.

By accepting Christ into our life; taking note of His teachings and by reading God’s Word, we get specific instructions in how to live.  Reading God’s word is much like hunting or fishing because we have to be patient, quite, and focused as we search for our daily spiritual food.

My grandfather loved to hunt. He had dogs that he trained for the purpose of finding raccoons. They would smell the trail and follow. Usually this led to a big tree where the raccoon would climb to the very top. Along the way, the dog would bark until you could then hear a different bark. It was a very excited bark in the same location and there was bark after bark after bark. When the hunter heard this bark, he knew the dog had the raccoon cornered.

Like these trained dogs of my grandfather, we trail what we are passionate about for our Master. As a person of faith, we find great truths that provide spiritual food and share these truths with others. Here is a truth to share today in a song: Stop the World by Matthew West. This day with God, remember that He is listening and is pleased when we have done our job for Him.

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My Strength and My Song

The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. – Psalm 118:14

In the post “Use Your God Given Talent”, mentioned were the skilled people that made the priestly garments. God has given each of us talents and abilities to serve others. The challenge for us is to discover our specific talent or ability and be thankful.

Sometimes when an athlete makes a good play like a touchdown or hits a homerun, they point to the sky; humbly pointing out that it was power from up above that made it happen.

In whatever we do today, let us also do amazing things by using abilities and skills from God to serve others. It may be to inspire others just like a great athlete or singer. It may be in our job or in how we serve others. Here is an inspiring video as we step ahead: There is Power by Lincoln Brewster.

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The Place of Grace

Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it. - Hebrews 4:16

The main point as written in the post “The Greatest Sacrifice Ever” is that God’s Plan for us makes it much easier today because of what Jesus Christ did on the Cross for our eternal victory.

We can be a great person but without Christ, the victory is out of reach. I remember watching the NFL induction ceremony when Brett Favre was inducted into the Hall of Fame. With all his greatness, few people know that he is leader in one negative stat. As a quarterback, he had the most interceptions.

We all make mistakes but we can turn mistakes into a victory if we take in the lessons learned. Because of the grace of God, blessings can be received even from our past mistakes. Take inspiration from today’s video: Your Grace Is Enough by Matt Maher and believe you have all you need to build for an amazing future.

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Inner Joy

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. - Philippians 2:3-4

As written about in the post “Cultivating Internal Beauty”, So much time went into furnishing the inside of the tabernacle. In the same way, we need to spend more time cultivating an inner joy.

We can do this by following the scripture above with concern for others and not building our lives on the externals like attractiveness, nice clothing, and new cars. The problem with the externals is that there is always someone that looks better on the outside, has a better house, a better car, or takes better vacations. We look at others and think they are smarter, slimmer, or better looking than we are.

Instead, just focus on what God has given you in Christ. By believing in His Son, you are precious and beautiful on the inside. You have been given an inner joy and are pleasant to be around. You have joy even in difficulty and see each day as the best day ever.

This day, feel secure because of the joy in knowing that God is with you wherever you go and see each moment in life as sacred. May this song Stand In The Light by Jordan Smith  help as you step ahead today!

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Prevail with Detail

My son, pay attention to my wisdom; lend your ear to my understanding, that you may preserve discretion, and your lips may keep knowledge. - Proverbs 5:1-2

There was great detail given as to how the tabernacle would be furnished as pointed out in the post “Specific Details”. The need to attend to great detail is also needed in life because sometimes the margin for error is so minuet. One little thing can get us off track.

Working with computer systems, one wrong code entry or data tag can throw things off and it’s hard to find what the issue is. With so many updates and changes that take place within a computer system, it’s easy to bring a system down and many times hard to find the solution to get it going again.

The good thing about Christianity is that God’s principles never change. A daily devotional time internalizes His guiding principles so they become an instrument which pushes us to focus on Him in every activity throughout our day.

The Tabernacle as mentioned in the post “Specific Details” would be the dwelling place of God. Because of Christ, our bodies are the dwelling place or Temple of God and as in the song Christ In Me by Jeremy Camp, Christ in us lights up the Temple.

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His Spirit Dwells In Us

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? – 1 Corinthians 3:16

Reading in Exodus 25, a tabernacle was to be built according to exact instructions. The post “A Sanctuary for God to Dwell” pointed out that this tabernacle would be the place in which God would dwell.

Also pointed out was that because of Christ, we are each God’s Temple and His Spirit dwells within us. We can get ready for the challenge of each day by going to the ONE who created it all and passionately stirring each other up to boldly step ahead.

There are many reasons that some may worry in life; a job with unreasonable demands or trying to get through a difficult class in school among other things but all that matters is doing our best and trusting God. So live life with passion, with initiative, and gain momentum by getting ready for each day.

As the song One Step Away by Casting Crowns points out, we are never alone and we can go to the ONE whose arms are wide open and cast away all our anxieties.

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Called According To His Purpose

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

The post “Respond with Commitment” discusses how Moses was called according to His purpose to receive instructions called the Ten Commandments from God. During that time, only Moses could have a close relationship to God but because of the death and resurrection of Christ, we have the opportunity to also get instructions from God through reading His Word. We can read the Bible for the purpose of writing down lessons learned and sharing these lessons with future generations.

The song Every Good Thing by The Afters points out that our relationships are so important. Of most importance is our relationship with God. Then our time with family members and our friends should also be top priority. Let us remember that life is designed for eternity so let us put our time into good causes and into relationships that return eternal dividends.

Index of devotionals