IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2008
Just a little sidebar this Friday morning before we get started. Yesterday while ironing (it’s a REAL good excuse to watch TV) I caught a couple episodes of 7th Heaven. The first one was all about Ruthie’s first date. For me, Ruthie was too young for her first date but in the last scene, well, maybe not. I’ll set the scene for you: Ruthie arrived home from the date, said good night to Mom and Dad, went to her room, turned on some good music, stretched out on her bed (fully dressed), looked up and said, “Thank You.” I smiled real big to see such a depiction on television – a young girl coming home from a date and saying thank You to God our Father. I LIKE IT!!
And some day I’d like to see that played out in my grand-daughters (when they are much older than Ruthie). I figure it this way, if a young lady can come home from a date, look up and say Thank You to DADDY GOD, she must have behaved herself in a godly way!!! Amen and Amen!!
John 6: 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Could it be any plainer? No one can be saved unless he/she is enabled to be saved by the Holy Spirit. No man, woman, boy or girl will ever be saved unless they are first convinced by the Holy Spirit that they are sinners, undone and deserving of everlasting fire; and moreover, that Jesus is the only Savior. Further the Word says that the Father desires for no one to perish, for no one to spend eternal death in everlasting fire. Father, wants everyone to be saved which can only mean that everyone, every man, every woman, every boy and every girl at some point are told in their span of time on this earth that they are in need of a Savior. I do not know how that plays out in some places but Romans 1 does tell us that even nature, creation, the planet we live on and the heavens that we see above us is enough to let every man, woman, boy and girl know that God is. And if they will, not can but will, accept that He is then He will make sure they get the “rest of the story” along with the opportunity to repent and believe in the Bread of Life.
Let us now look at Peter’s great confession. The confession that all who are birthed into the Kingdom of God have made. Lord …you have the words of eternal life…You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. To paraphrase Peter, he was saying – we have learned to believe and trust You; You are the Holy One of God, You are the Anointed One, You ARE Eternal Life. To whom else would we, could we, go?
And we say: Who indeed!!
One more point and we are done for today: we have “learned to believe” What a mission! To learn to believe God. All this weekend, all next week, your mission, my mission, is to learn to believe God; to learn to trust Him, to learn to rely upon Him, to learn to believe Him. How will you do that? How will I do that? Yes, by prayer and reading the Scriptures, but more than praying and reading; by choosing to obey, choosing to believe. When adversity comes to me this week, even today, I must choose to believe that God is still in control and that He loves me and that He would never do or allow anything to be done to me that will ultimately harm me. So, our mission is to learn to believe God. And the very fact He uses the word LEARN indicates it’s a process. We will not always do it right. We will miss the mark. There will be times that we will fail to believe Him but each time we fail, we can begin again. And that my dear ones is LEARNING TO BELIEVE.
Father, we are here to learn; to learn to Believe You; not about You, but You. And Holy Spirit, we are counting on You to make it happen. And even today we expect progress. Thank You Father.
As I post this it is 77°F and overcast in Balad, IQ & the time there is 6:58 AM AST – on May 16, 2008
Internet Daughters of the KING
THE WHITE STONE
His Ministry to You
And some day I’d like to see that played out in my grand-daughters (when they are much older than Ruthie). I figure it this way, if a young lady can come home from a date, look up and say Thank You to DADDY GOD, she must have behaved herself in a godly way!!! Amen and Amen!!
John 6: 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Could it be any plainer? No one can be saved unless he/she is enabled to be saved by the Holy Spirit. No man, woman, boy or girl will ever be saved unless they are first convinced by the Holy Spirit that they are sinners, undone and deserving of everlasting fire; and moreover, that Jesus is the only Savior. Further the Word says that the Father desires for no one to perish, for no one to spend eternal death in everlasting fire. Father, wants everyone to be saved which can only mean that everyone, every man, every woman, every boy and every girl at some point are told in their span of time on this earth that they are in need of a Savior. I do not know how that plays out in some places but Romans 1 does tell us that even nature, creation, the planet we live on and the heavens that we see above us is enough to let every man, woman, boy and girl know that God is. And if they will, not can but will, accept that He is then He will make sure they get the “rest of the story” along with the opportunity to repent and believe in the Bread of Life.
Let us now look at Peter’s great confession. The confession that all who are birthed into the Kingdom of God have made. Lord …you have the words of eternal life…You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. To paraphrase Peter, he was saying – we have learned to believe and trust You; You are the Holy One of God, You are the Anointed One, You ARE Eternal Life. To whom else would we, could we, go?
And we say: Who indeed!!
One more point and we are done for today: we have “learned to believe” What a mission! To learn to believe God. All this weekend, all next week, your mission, my mission, is to learn to believe God; to learn to trust Him, to learn to rely upon Him, to learn to believe Him. How will you do that? How will I do that? Yes, by prayer and reading the Scriptures, but more than praying and reading; by choosing to obey, choosing to believe. When adversity comes to me this week, even today, I must choose to believe that God is still in control and that He loves me and that He would never do or allow anything to be done to me that will ultimately harm me. So, our mission is to learn to believe God. And the very fact He uses the word LEARN indicates it’s a process. We will not always do it right. We will miss the mark. There will be times that we will fail to believe Him but each time we fail, we can begin again. And that my dear ones is LEARNING TO BELIEVE.
Father, we are here to learn; to learn to Believe You; not about You, but You. And Holy Spirit, we are counting on You to make it happen. And even today we expect progress. Thank You Father.
As I post this it is 77°F and overcast in Balad, IQ & the time there is 6:58 AM AST – on May 16, 2008
Internet Daughters of the KING
THE WHITE STONE
His Ministry to You
