Forgiven and Given

If you have anything against anyone, forgive them, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses. - Mark 11:25-26

In the post “The Door is Opened with Grace”, pointed out is that there is a way to be forgiven and given the key to the kingdom. One of God’s qualities is that the door is open to all with eyes ready to see Him. The door is open to anyone with ears that listen to the Gospel message and receive the gift of God’s mercy.

So accept, appreciate, and affirm all who are willing to receive grace. Remember … the cross meant to kill brings the victory and as pointed out in the song Forgiven by Crowder, there is freedom in His amazing grace. His arms are open to receive those who believe.

Index of devotionals

Irritations can Become Pearls

Some days are just frustrating and it takes some adjustment and soothing but like a piece of sand irritating a clam, our irritations might become our pearls.

This day with God, be an overcomer even when things happen that should not or when those you thought you could trust do something that makes you not trust them anymore. Be able to forgive, step ahead, and be grateful for what you do have. Here’s a video to spur us on with this thought: Overcomer - Mandisa.

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne. - Revelation 3:21

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Firm Foundation Of Truth

In the post More Precious Than Anything Life Has To Offer, written about was how Jesus handled the situation of being arrested and going through the trials before being crucified. Peter caved during the hostilities and sometimes in life, we may not handle the challenges we face like we should. One thing we can be sure of is that Christ is reliable and He has promised that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.

We live in a world of shifting sand but with Christ, we have a firm foundation. This day, there is freedom with Christ. A freedom that helps us live, give, and love. A freedom that will speak and teach; laying out a solid path that we can follow and show others how to follow. The inspirational video for to today is Solid As The Rock by Avalon. Enjoy! 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us. - 1 John 1:9

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Adding Quality to Faith

Jesus talks about adding quality to faith and the power of faith when he says in Luke 17:6, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea, ‘and it will obey you.”

A mustard seed is very small but grows into a large plant. Faith is the same. Sharing about faith gives a great purpose because what we share today may pull someone through to meet the challenges of tomorrow and step ahead throughout the week.

God knows what He is doing and we can trust Him just like this video highlights: He is With US – Love & The Outcome.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. - Colossians 2:6-7

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Acts of Kindness

In the post Act Kind and Receive Kindness in Return, Jesus explains the need for leaders to remove obstacles instead of creating difficulties. The Pharisees and Layers created burdens that made the path to God very difficult.

What Jesus has done for us is make the path to God less burdensome rather than loaded down with the burdens of social ceremonies. In the same way, we should not set up any social barriers.

This day with God, receive inspiration from this video and look for opportunities to offer acts of kindness to others: Kindness Returns!

 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. - Ephesians 4:32

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Kindness Interjection Leads to Life Redirection

In the post Bless with Gentleness, it was explained that Joseph never considered taking revenge on his brothers or those who placed him in prison. He was kind and respectful and this influenced those around him in a positive way. The result was the favor of the Lord and success in whatever he did.

Just like God showed us mercy and kindness which led to positive results, we can also influence those around us in a positive way. This day with God, let us use this video to inspire acts of kindness and mercy towards others: Kindness – Todd Agnew.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. - Ephesians 4:31-32

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Arranging Time with God Results in the Changing of Lives

Jacob faithfully prays to God and receives hope in a dream to finally be reunited with his son Joseph. After all these years and now at an old age, he finally understands what faith is all about. It’s all about prayer and listening to God in order to follow His will. As a person spends time with God, changes do occur as in brought to us so well in this video: Changed – Rascal Flatts

Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. – Proverbs 13:10

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Journey through Life with Encouragement

In the post Journey through Life with Respect, Joseph invites his brothers to dinner and respects the Egyptian custom of serving Hebrews separately. His brothers show respect to Joseph and humbly give gifts. As we live on this earth, there are several common sense lessons that were brought out in the post.

We should always make God our number one priority. We should always live with integrity in order to build trust with others. We should respect the customs and values of the country in which we live. We should celebrate the successes of others and wish them the best. And we should ask for God’s help in using words that help and encourage others as this today’s video points out: Words – Hawk Nelson.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. - Psalm 19:14

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First Order of Business is Prayer

Photo Credit - http://thespiritmagnus.blogspot.com

After the temple was built, the first order of business was prayer. Solomon’s main request in 2 Chronicles 6 is for God to hear their prayers of repentance and forgiveness. Solomon knew what God had promised and in prayer ask that it come to fruition; that they would learn, receive protection, and that their prayers would be heard.

After Solomon’s prayer, fire came down from heaven and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.  The people responded in worship and in giving thanks. This should be our response when we are aware of God’s presence. Today, our hearts are His resting-place. Christ dwells in us by faith and we are set apart as God’s temple where we can meet each day and listen for His voice in the quiet.

We can ask these questions: God do I limit your power in my life by trying to hide my weaknesses? What do I need to be honest about in order to receive your power? Is there something I can share that will provide a good lesson for those that follow in my path?

There is Never a Day We Should Not Pray

Give us this day our daily bread
And bless those O Lord whom have not yet been fed
I thank God for my food and I can honestly say
There is never a day that we should not pray

If not for ourselves there are plenty in need
Of hope and compassion it’s their hearts we must feed
The light of God can show us the way
There is never a day that we should not pray

He gave us his son who taught us to share
To love and forgive, he taught us to care
For he died on the cross and for our sins he did pay
There is never a day that we should not pray

~ Michael Gannon

For an inspirational start to each day, join the journey at:

This Day with God Devotional.

The Word of God Planted in a Soul

The Word of God planted in a soul with integrity is like seed planted in fertile soil that flourishes into a banner crop.

Photo Credit – Meditations from Zion

We can learn lessons from others in how to live but we can also learn lessons from others in how not to live. Remember how greed put Peter in a difficult situation and he didn’t handle things with integrity in Luke22:54-71. People may make you an offer that you think you can’t resist but that doesn’t mean it’s in your best interest to take them up on the proposal. A person of integrity desires faith, hope, and love more than fame, fortune, and status.

Maintain integrity by trusting in the Lord, asking Him to examine your heart and mind. Associate with good people, love the Church, and tell others about the qualities of God’s character. Even if people are treating you bad, keep your integrity and keep doing the right thing. If they get you upset and you try to pay them back, you may be the one that gets in trouble. Instead, try to forgive and believe God will bring victory into your life. Make a decision to be a person of integrity.

To read more about integrity, visit this post: What Integrity Does For Us.