Morning Devotion
January 15, 2025
Today's Bible Verse
John 8:24
I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. <br><br>
Today's Bible Study
In this verse, Jesus tells the Pharisees that if they do not believe that He is God, they will die in their sins. Today, the same is true for all of us.
Without Jesus, we would lead lives of sin and ultimately die with our sin unatoned for. There would be no power to break the bondage of sin in our lives if we do not have a relationship with Jesus. There is no such thing as a good person—everyone has fallen short of who we were meant to be. Without Jesus, we have no hope of becoming anything other than sinners.
However, when we believe in Jesus, we will no longer die in our sins. We are set free from being slaves to sin on a daily level. We have the power to say no to things that are ungodly, like gossip, jealousy, cheating, and fear, and instead put on the righteousness of Christ. When we die, the blood of Jesus has covered our sins. We will have nothing to atone for because Jesus' life and death defeated the power of sin over our lives.
Without Jesus, we would lead lives of sin and ultimately die with our sin unatoned for. There would be no power to break the bondage of sin in our lives if we do not have a relationship with Jesus. There is no such thing as a good person—everyone has fallen short of who we were meant to be. Without Jesus, we have no hope of becoming anything other than sinners.
However, when we believe in Jesus, we will no longer die in our sins. We are set free from being slaves to sin on a daily level. We have the power to say no to things that are ungodly, like gossip, jealousy, cheating, and fear, and instead put on the righteousness of Christ. When we die, the blood of Jesus has covered our sins. We will have nothing to atone for because Jesus' life and death defeated the power of sin over our lives.
This is a cause for rejoicing! Jesus has paid the price that none of us ever could have. He has restored us into a right relationship with the Lord, and we get to experience His power helping us, every day of our lives, to say no again and again to our flesh and yes to the things of God.
This also gives us a passion to help other people know Him and experience His goodness. We do not want anyone to miss out on experiencing the power of forgiveness and the mercy of the Lord, and we should live our lives on a mission to share the Gospel with those around us and to whomever God calls us.
This also gives us a passion to help other people know Him and experience His goodness. We do not want anyone to miss out on experiencing the power of forgiveness and the mercy of the Lord, and we should live our lives on a mission to share the Gospel with those around us and to whomever God calls us.
Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, I thank you so much for Jesus. I thank you that you don't see me as a sinner but instead your child. Help me to walk in your mercy and your grace. Fill me up with your love, Lord, that I may share your love and grace with others around me. In Jesus' name, amen.
If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.
-C.S. Lewis
God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.
-Elbert Hubbard
The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.
-C.S. Lewis
If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.
-Dorothy Parker
Yesterday's Devotional
January 14, 2025
Yesterday's Bible Verse
Isaiah 45:23
I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. <br><br>
Yesterday's Bible Study
In this verse, we are given a glimpse into the future. The Lord says that every knee and every tongue shall worship Him alone. We can take heart in this verse today, assured that we already know how everything on Earth is going to end and that it will glorify the Lord.
The verse begins with the Lord saying that the words have gone out of His mouth and will not return. What does that mean? It means He will not go back on what has been said and what He says afterward. What He has proclaimed will come to pass: Every person who has ever lived will bow before the Lord and worship Him. While there are people on Earth who deny the existence of God or worship other gods, they will all one day call Him Lord. Even if they did not recognize Him while they were living, they will recognize Him after.
This is a comfort to us as we talk to people about God. As we spread the Gospel among those we know (and even go to new places to spread it), we can anchor ourselves in the truth that even if they reject the Gospel now, a day will come when they bow before the Lord.
The verse begins with the Lord saying that the words have gone out of His mouth and will not return. What does that mean? It means He will not go back on what has been said and what He says afterward. What He has proclaimed will come to pass: Every person who has ever lived will bow before the Lord and worship Him. While there are people on Earth who deny the existence of God or worship other gods, they will all one day call Him Lord. Even if they did not recognize Him while they were living, they will recognize Him after.
This is a comfort to us as we talk to people about God. As we spread the Gospel among those we know (and even go to new places to spread it), we can anchor ourselves in the truth that even if they reject the Gospel now, a day will come when they bow before the Lord.
It also gives us hope right now. Sometimes the world seems like a desperate and dark place that is positively brimming with sin. We don't have to look hard to see evidence of our fallen nature. However, this verse lets us know that one day we will all know our place: underneath a mighty and loving God. While those who rejected Him during their lives will not have communion with Him afterward, we can rest in the fact that the world is not going to remain as it is.
This verse lets us know that God is working an ultimate plan of restoration for the entire world. His plan is great and beyond our ability to comprehend, and, in the meantime, we can trust and walk in faithful obedience.
This verse lets us know that God is working an ultimate plan of restoration for the entire world. His plan is great and beyond our ability to comprehend, and, in the meantime, we can trust and walk in faithful obedience.
Yesterday's Prayer
Dear Lord, I thank you for letting us in on the end of the story: Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. Thank you for being so good to me and for making your name great. Help me to serve you well. In Jesus' name, amen.