And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.…
Luke 1:38 “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” I believed when I reached a certain age in life that I would finally be in the will of God. I would possibly be ministering,…
“Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.” (John 4:34 in the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible).
It’s not often that we accept the statement, “You have a one-track mind”, as a compliment. But, when it comes to serving God and fulfilling His will in my life, I want to have singleness of purpose. Just as Jesus did not allow friends or family to sidetrack Him from the mission, it is my prayer that God would keep me from distractions that would blur my vision and keep me from reaching my Heavenly goal.
Prayer: Lord, I thank You for a single-minded focus!
Devotion by Julie Long
“Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.” (John 4:34 in the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible).
It’s not often that we accept the statement, “You have a one-track mind”, as a compliment. But, when it comes to serving God and fulfilling His will in my life, I want to have singleness of purpose. Just as Jesus did not allow friends or family to sidetrack Him from the mission, it is my prayer that God would keep me from distractions that would blur my vision and keep me from reaching my Heavenly goal.
Prayer: Lord, I thank You for a single-minded focus!
Devotion by Julie Long
“My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” (Luke 1:46-48 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible).
Incredibly, God chose a young lady who was insignificant by the worlds standards to bear the Savior of the world. Mary recognized the great honor that was granted to her and responded with a heart of full of worship. Mary’s role in God’s plan to redeem mankind would be remembered forever. She gladly accepted the responsibility and expressed her joy at being chosen.
Prayer: Lord, I too have been chosen to fulfill a special purpose in Your Kingdom. I pray today that my reaction to this wonderful privilege of bearing Your Name will be one of thanksgiving. Amen.
Devotion by Julie Long
Corrie Ten Boom made a statement that I just read. She said, “When we are obedient, God guides our steps and our stops.” Stops are so annoying especially when you’re in a hurry. Hurry is the world I live in. Realizing God is in our stops is probably harder than remember He is in our steps. Steps represent moving forward or progress, while stops seem useless. People go to great lengths to avoid stops. Some will try to cross a railroad track with red lights and the alarm ringing. Often they don’t live to tell about it. I would have to agree with Corrie that God is in both our steps and our stops. “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” (Psalms 119:133 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible).
Prayer: Lord, help me to be obedient and follow Your direction in my steps and stops. Lord, You take the lead and I will follow. You see way down the road and know the end from the beginning. Trusting You leads to a successful journey.
My God, my Father, while I stray Far from home, on life’s rough way, O teach me from my heart to say, “Thy will be done.” Though dark my path and sad my lot, Let me be still and murmur not; But breathe the prayer divinely taught, “Thy will be done.” What though in lonely grief I sigh For friends beloved no longer nigh, Submissive still, would I reply, “Thy will be done.” If thou shouldst call me to resign What most I prize-it ne’er was mine, I only yield Thee what was Thine; “Thy will be done.” If but my fainting heart be blest With thy sweet spirit for its guest, My God, to Thee I leave the rest; “Thy will be done.” Renew my will from day to day; Blend it with Thine, and take away All that now makes it hard to say, “Thy will be done.” -Charlotte Elliot
My husband is an avid fisherman. He will take our grandson and spend hours baiting his hook with those nasty worms to catch a few fish. I must admit, he rarely goes fishing without catching anything. Reading in the Book of John, I can imagine the exasperated fishermen who fished all night and caught NOTHING. John 21:3 says, “Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a- fishing. They say unto him, we also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately: and that night they caught nothing” (In the King James Version of the Holy Bible). The Bible says Jesus asked them to fish on the other side of the boat and their long night of nothing turned into something. It always amazes me how quickly Jesus can turn things around. What a fish story they had to tell!
Prayer: Today, I need to hear from You, Lord. My efforts seem to have been in vain. Let me hear Your voice directing me. I know You have the answer! In Jesus’ Name! Amen!
Devotion by: Kaye Singleton