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DEVOTIONS
FOR October 20-25, 2008
Topic: Are
You Connected to God and His Word?
Why Scripture is Important.
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Spend time with the devotions this week. Read the Scriptures and then
think how you can apply them to your life.
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MONDAY
October 20
Look
up and read
Acts 3:19
In what ways do you
get refreshed? Do you put on your IPod and lay down or maybe you go out and
play sports or do you sit down in front of the TV and watch a movie or two?
I know that for me on my worst days my being refreshed comes through reading
God’s promises. Sure I’ve felt better maybe for a bit when I’ve gone out
for a run or just chilled on the couch but I experience longer term
refreshing from God and His Word. I’ve had to learn this lesson through
many times of not turning to God and His Word to be refreshed. In Acts 3:19
God calls us to Himself through repentance from our sins and His Word to be
refreshed by knowing our sins have been wiped out. Don’t you want to be
connected to God who wants to know you and to bring a refreshing into your
life? Spend time in prayer today asking God to forgive you of any
unconfessed sin in your life and to ask Him to refresh your life through His
Word. Connect with God and His Word today.
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TUESDAY
October 21
Look
up and read
Psalm 40:2
How many of you love
to play in the mud? You just love to go to places that have mud pits that
you can just flop into! When I was younger I just loved to get in the mud
and get covered head to toe. I especially loved to play soccer games in the
wet slop. After those games we would make long sprinting dives into the mud
seeing who could slide the furthest. My mom however didn’t like it because
that meant she had to clean up my clothes and my Dad didn’t like it either
because it meant I had to get into his car after those messy games! The
thing about mud, as fun as it is for most, is that it gets all over us. Not
only that, but we sink into it and it slows us down. You see, God makes
it possible for us to be lifted out of that mud, cleansed from the slime of
sin and sets our feet on firm ground. He gives us Himself, the Rock to
stand on so that we will not sink and can run freely with Him. Pray
today and ask to be lifted out of that miry mud and to be placed on The
Rock. Connect with God and His Word today.
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WEDNESDAY
October 22
Look
up and read
Hebrews
10:22
Have you ever had a
guilty conscience? There is or was something that you knew you should have
said or done in a situation but didn’t and now it’s weighing you down. Too
many times in my life I have faced similar situations like that and I’ve had
to go back to get that guilty feeling off my chest. The thing though was
that I had to realize I wasn’t doing it to make myself feel better or to
please someone, I was doing it because it was right before God to do. The
closer I would draw to God the more I knew I needed to have a sincere heart
that was in full assurance of faith. God wants us to draw nearer to Him
with sincere hearts that are seeking Him in faith and confessing sin
realizing the desire to do what’s right before God. Will you draw near to
God? Meditate over this verse and honestly examine yourself to see if there
is any guilt in your life that you need to take to God. Connect with God
and His Word today.
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THURSDAY
October
23
Look
up and read
John 15:5-8
Do you think that rose
bushes are beautiful? How about sunflowers or wild flower patches? I think
they are a thing of beauty. They are wonderful to give to someone to
brighten their day or to say I’m thinking of you and love you. Yet once
they are removed from the root they eventually die. In John 15:5-8 he talks
about how God is the vine and we are the branches. If we are connected to
Him we will grow. But if we are not connected to Him, like a branch that is
no longer a part of the vine, we will wither and fall away from God. In
this passage it also says that not only if we stay connected to Him, but if
His words remain in us He will provide for our needs. Now, understand that
this is not a free pass to ask for whatever and you’ll get it. I still
haven’t gotten my Red Ferrari (ha-ha). If our life is connected to God and
His Word, the things we would ask for would be what God knows we need, not
what we want (like a Red FerrariJ).
Spend some time in prayer today asking God to help you stay connected to
“The Vine” and that His Word would remain in you. Connect with God and His
Word today.
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FRIDAY
October
24
Look
up and read
Matthew
7:24
What kind of
foundation are you building your life upon? Is your foundation on a famous
movie, sports and music stars or fashion and technology and other worldly
things? In God’s Word we can read and learn about what kind of foundation
our lives should be built on. Earlier this week we learned that God is “The
Rock” and here in Matthew 7:24 we see again that God is a “firm
foundation”. If we build our lives on the things of this world it will
crumble when the “storms” come about. Yet if our lives are founded on God
they will be able to withstand any “storm” that comes about. God wants
us not only to hear His Word, but He wants us to put His Word into practice;
to continue to strengthen and build upon our firm foundation in Him.
Pray today and ask God to be your foundation. Connect with God and His Word
today.
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SATURDAY
October
25
Look
up and read
2 Timothy
2:19
Do you really know that you are God’s? Do you know that everyone who
confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness? How are we
doing with that? I have to remind myself of that at times and God’s Word
does that daily in my life. It’s tough to stay connected to God and His
Word yet the payoff for remaining in Him is far greater than anything we
attach ourselves to that the world offers. If we say we are Christians then
we need to ask ourselves: 1.) Are we really connected to God and His Word?
2.) Are we putting His Word into practice? 3.) Do we really believe and have
faith that we are His? There are probably more questions you can think of
but let me challenge us all to examine our faith through the commitment
to reading God’s Word. Not only does it reveal our sin, it brings
health and wisdom and blessing and shows us His unconditional love, great
power, grace and mercy on us, His children. Meditate over this verse and
honestly examine your life to make certain that you are connected to God and
His Word.
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See you at Sunday
School, Worship and Youth Fellowship this Sunday!
Bible references provided by
www.biblegateway.com
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