Share the Evidence

I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. - Psalm 89:1

In the post “Hear and Apply, discussed is Paul pointing out that all are given evidence of God’s power and divine nature but some still do not believe. There are various ways to receive knowledge of God. We can read His Word, learn from our experiences, and learn from others who have knowledge and experiences to share.

Going out in the backyard either at night before going to sleep or in the morning before sunrise with my dog Marlee, we can hear the sounds of a night. Marlee loves just lying in the grass, listening, and enjoying the cool breeze. I look up in the sky and see the stars and enjoy the amazement as God has painted another masterpiece to communicate His glory. The time in the back yard gives inspiration and hope; confidence that that God is with me and will be with me always.

Another way to receive inspiration and hope is through music as in this video: Light Up the Sky by The Afters.

Index of devotionals

Partnership in the Faith

In the post Believe and Have No Need, I wrote about the believers becoming of one in heart and mind. It was not about the individual but about something bigger. It was about working together to spread the Good News of the Lord Jesus.

We can do the same today but at an even greater rate because of the Internet. Thoughts and ideas can be shared with believers across the globe. There are inspiring videos, quotes, thoughts, and ideas that are easily shared daily.

Let us purposefully look for God today in nature, music, sports, movies, at the golf course, work, the shopping center, and in His people. Document what you see. Collect facts, quotes, and personal thoughts from your experiences. Let us work together to highlight the building blocks of faith that lay a path for us to step ahead and spread the Good News.

Let us be thankful that Christ has given us a helper in the Holy Spirit that we can lean on together as our partner in the faith. Enjoy today’s video Lean On Me – Bill Withers

I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. - Philemon 1:16

Index of devotionals

The Word is More Precious than Gold

Like the post, “Be on Guard and Focus on Christ” highlights, it is important to pay attention to the lessons of nature and what is going on around us. But most of all, we should store the Word in our heart because it is more precious than gold. The Word never passes away like things on earth. Let us not get trapped in the negatives of this world but guard our hearts with the Word.

I remember one time seeing a rainbow as I drove to work. It was an amazing rainbow and seeing this put my attention on how amazing God is. If we focus on Him throughout our day, we are able to make it through anything. Do this each day and at the end of the rainbow of life, there is a pot of gold. Those who give up what’s in the world and follow Christ receive eternal riches in the kingdom of God.

He will bring us back to Him just like this video points out: Here is Our King – David Crowder Band.

Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth. - Hosea 6:3

Index of devotionals

Standing Up to Fear

A bird at our neighbor’s house was not scared when we walked near her. Wondering why she was not frightened, we then realized she was sitting on her eggs. We could get right up next to her and it would not fly away. Nothing was going to frighten her away from protecting her eggs. She stood up to fear because she was driven by a purpose more important than her own security. The bird was fulfilling her purpose with passion.

Photo Credit – whitegadget.com

http://www.whitegadget.com/pc-wallpapers/143280-birds.html

I love seeing photos of mountain scenes. What a great inspiration they can be. These great rocks have stood firm over time. They can shield from bad weather or protect from enemies during wartime. Nature is a great teacher like the examples above and we can also learn lessons of courage from history, from TV/movies, and in life experiences.

Even though TV shows may not be reality, there are still lessons of courage depicted. When my daughter was younger, we got in the habit of sitting down to watch episodes of Little House on the Prairie. One of the characters in the show named Mary received a teaching job in another county. A resident in this county didn’t want the school to succeed but Mary had the courage to stand up to her and get everyone thinking her way. Sometimes you have to ruffle some feathers and not be as friendly in order to get people moving in the right direction; it’s called leadership.

To make an omelet you, have to crack some eggs. There is a need for leaders to have courage to stand up and point out a problem so they can nip it in the bud before it grows out of control.

Think of the terrible shootings in the late 1990’s in Littleton Colorado Columbine High School and the recent shootings in the Aurora Theater or at Sandy Hook. The killers involved in these incidents showed many warning signs that were not followed through with. Was it because of a lack of time or attention by those around the shooters? Or was it a lack of courage to stand up and nip it in the bud before it got out of control? The killers in these tragedies all had planned in advance, and had problems with their behavior leading up to the events.

Do we simply need more courage to do what’s right? There are many stories that do demonstrate courage. I heard a story one time that a man fell 18 feet off a ladder onto an iron fence post. It jabbed through the man's side and out the other.  A neighbor had the courage to take action immediately. He cut the post stuck in him and hurried the man to the emergency room. The post was surgically removed from the man’s body; only missing his heart by an inch, bruising several internal organs, and severing some main arteries. The amazing thing about the story is that the man was recovering at home within a week.

Stories like the one above demonstrate to us that everything is in God's hands and we should have courage because God is in control. He has given us control over our thoughts and the thoughts of fear can be mastered. The starting point is desire. We all can control our own destiny by reaching a decision to have courage. When we go about our day and see or hear negative words or actions from others, we can be courageous for God is with us.

For building faith in God’s power, limitless, and promises there is an on-line devotional I’m using to keep me on track. I invite you to join the journey or check in from time to time for some inspiration by liking or following at the links below:

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This Day with God Devotional