Morning Devotion on Sunday April 14th, 2024 🥰

 

(from Job 19 NKJV):

25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;

26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,

27 Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

Good morning, dear Reader! Thank you for joining me today for morning devotion (the most important part of the whole day). First of all, I'd say that it probably takes the best of us at least ten or twenty, maybe thirty minutes, just to do the 'waking up' part of getting up every day. I mean, putting God first doesn't mean that we don't first run to the bathroom, or even grab a cup of coffee; those things are just part of transitioning from being asleep to being awake.
I wake up and do a few other things before seeking God: I go to the bathroom, make coffee, do a breathing treatment, mark all of my emails as read as well as Facebook notifications. All of those things put together probably take anywhere from ten to thirty minutes in total; I see nothing wrong with it, myself. SO, if you take a little time to wake up, rest assured that there's literally nothing wrong with that. AT all. 💜
There, I really wanted to say that today because I fear some of you may be under condemnation from the enemy for literally no reason and 'ain't nobody got time for that'. 
Ok, cool. Now that we've clarified THAT! HEY the last thing I ever want to do is to make anyone feel condemned. That's the total opposite of what I'm trying to do here, ok? The entire point of seeking God is because He's so good, He loves us so much, His Word is so full of Life and healing, and I dearly want that for both of us, dear Reader, so I just figure that while I'm at it (devotions) well why not share it here with you, too? 

Ok. I think we need to look at Romans 8:1 today, staying in that same theme of 'no condemnation' because I really feel like so many people are deceived by the lies whispered to them by the great enemy, satan, who is definitely real and undeniably on the earth seeking whom he may devour as we speak. 

Romans 8 is easily one of my all time favorite chapters in the entire Holy Bible. But let's take a good, long look at the first verse there and see if we can break it down in the hope that it will increase our understanding. 

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" 

So, 'now' here, that means this instant, this very precise and exact moment in time; it's not something that we have to wait for, to happen at some other time. No, in fact, the Word backs itself up in also telling us "today is the day of salvation" (see 2 Corinthians 6:1) This is great news, y'all. He is the Great I AM. Not the great "I was" nor the great "I will be" but the great "I AM". He is an ever present help in time of trouble (from Psalm 46:1, which we covered in last night's blog). Therefore, I encourage you to boldly receive Him into your heart by faith, resting in the assurance that it is He Who loves and died for you. Yes, YOU!
What you may or may not have done so far in Life is of little consequence. All you have to do is repent and ask for forgiveness; He has made Himself easily accessible to one and all by way of His Blood sacrifice. He has already paved the way for you, straight to Him. 💜

May I please also just say, that if you're under condemnation from yourself, you're doing it all wrong. We aren't supposed to go around punishing ourselves for all of our many mistakes by walking around with the guilt like it was some heavy backpack that we were required to take with us for whatever reason. No, lay that thing down at the foot of the Cross! He's already paid the price! Guilt (or, conviction) if it drives us TO Him is actually quite useful. The thing is is that we need to run TO Him when we fall rather than the opposite. 
When a child is learning to walk, they fall many times. And what do we, as parents, do? Do we scold them? Do we judge our children's failed attempts and tell them that they're not good enough? Do we give up and believe that our child will simply never learn to walk? The answer to all of that, of course, is no. I want you to understand that if we, being evil, can be patient and loving with our own children as they learn, how much more so is God's love and patience with us, His children? Therefore, be patient with yourself. Once you get the revelation of just how much He loves you, you will then find the freedom to love and forgive yourself with mercy and kindness, and that will further equip you to show those same qualities to others even more than you're able to now. (this is a great promise). 

Look, there's not a single one of us living on this earth who won't, in some way or another, fail by sinning today at some point before bed tonight. It's guaranteed. It's never about "what IF I sin" but rather "what about WHEN I sin" and the great news is that He's already made a way and that way is Jesus. 💙  

So. No matter what you're feeling, no matter what you're going through, no matter what giants you might be facing in Life, remember that your Redeemer lives! Hold on to the knowledge of His great love for you and never be afraid to approach God for any reason at all. He loves you SO much, dear Reader; you are the apple of His eye. 

I'll close with that thought, dear Reader, and I really pray that you let these truths sink deep down into your heart. I find it useful to read/ study His Word over and over and over (because repetition is brilliant as a tool for learning a thing, no matter what that thing is). 

Please join me in praying for Peace in Israel and Gaza. Let's lift them up to the throne of Grace every single day until there is peace.💙
I pray that the eyes of your understanding are more and more enlightened dear Reader. I pray that, today, you will feel His Presence and His love for you, no matter what. Thank you for joining me for morning devotion today. I love you; please be abundantly blessed and have a wonderful day today. 💜