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Anne Johnston

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Devotions

Forgiven

2 Mins Read

Luke 6:37 “…..forgive and ye shall be forgiven.”

The greatest example of forgiveness is shown as Jesus hung on the cross, as He asked the Father to forgive the ones who were crucifying Him.

In the pattern for prayer that He gave His disciples, He said we were to forgive others as Christ has forgiven us. That means that if we do not forgive others, we cannot expect the Lord to forgive others.

Forgiveness is for our benefit as well as the one who has wronged us. If we do not forgive, there is a danger of bitterness growing in our hearts and keeping us from a good relationship with the Lord. The one who wronged us may go merrily on their way, not realizing how we feel, but we think about it every day and let it destroy us.

As people look at us, do they see a forgiving spirit and know that it is because we love Jesus?

Prayer: Lord, sometimes it is hard to forgive the wrongs that others have done to us, but help us to see them as you see them, and to forgive, so that they will see Jesus in us.

Devotion by Anne Johnston

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Mercy for mercy

1 Min Read

Matthew 5:17 “Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.”

Jesus showed mercy to those who came in contact with. Even when He was dying on the cross, He extended mercy to the thief who hung beside Him.

Where would we be without His mercy to us? Some of us have known the Lord since we were children, others came to Him later in life; but if it wasn’t for His mercy, we would not have Him in our lives.

Because we have been shown mercy, the Lord expects us to be merciful to those around us. It is so easy to look at the mistakes and sins of others and judge them, sometimes even asking the Lord to punish them for their wickedness. But when we remember that we are all sinners in God’s sight, we realize we did not deserve God’s mercy, either.

When the world looks at me, do they see mercy?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I am so thankful for the mercy you extended to me, even though I was not worthy. Let me always show mercy to others to they will see Jesus in me.

Devotion by Anne Johnston

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He had compassion on me

2 Mins Read

Matthew 14:14 “And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick.”

As we read the stories of Jesus while He was on earth, His compassion is so evident. He healed the sick, raised the dead, restored sight to the blind, and even met the needs of a crowd of hungry people. In one place, it says He healed all who came to Him. He treated all alike.

As followers of the Lord Jesus, we must show compassion to those who are hurting, to those who are in need of comfort, to those who are searching for answers to life’s problems. This world is full of hurting people, and they should be able to look to us for help. We may not have the resources to help all of them, but we can lift them up in prayer, and ask the Lord to meet their need.

When the world looks at us, do they see that we have been with Jesus and that we care about them?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, give us a compassion for the hurting people around us, and help them to see Jesus in us.

Devotion by Anne Johnston

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No Greater Love

2 Mins Read

John 13:34 “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

When we think of the attributes that Jesus manifested to the world, the first one that comes to mind is love. It was love that caused Him to come down to earth to redeem sinful man. Love caused Him to weep at the grave of Lazarus; love caused Him to reach out to the sick, the lame, and the blind that He came in contact with. His whole life radiated love.

We meet up with many different people in this world; some are easy to love and others are not so easy. But as followers of Jesus, we are commanded to show love to all. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus showed us that everyone is our neighbour, and that we are to love them as we love ourselves. When the love of God fills our heart and becomes the most important thing in our lives, it will overflow to those we come in contact with, and they will see Jesus in us.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, fill our hearts with your love today, and let everyone we meet see that love, and know that it comes from you.

Devotion by Anne Johnston

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Who do they see?

2 Mins Read

John 12:21 “The same came therefore to Philip…..and desired him, saying, ‘Sir, we would see Jesus.’”

When Philip and Andrew went to Jesus with this request, He began to speak about His coming death. In Verse 24, He said “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”

He was telling them that He be would be leaving them, but they would be left here on earth to represent Him. When He was no longer with them in flesh, they would be His witnesses. They were to manifest the same Spirit as Christ to the world. On the Day of Pentecost, they were given the power they needed to accomplish this.

There is a Gospel song that asks the question, “When the world looks at me, do they see Jesus?” This is a question that we need to ask ourselves every day. The world needs Jesus, and as followers of Him, our lives should mirror His likeness.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please examine my heart today, and help me to live this day so that anyone I come in contact with will see Jesus in me, and desire to know Him.

Devotion by Anne Johnston

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