Deaf Devotion 5/23/2011

“But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17 NLT)

Well it looks like we all missed the end of the world. The parties, the money, the focus on “What if…” seems like it was all for nothing. All because one man stirred up a nation of people that He was right and we just do not understand. Oh well.

My daughter called me on Saturday and said she was going to a friend’s house. I asked when she would be home. She said, “Does it really matter? The end of the world is today anyways.” It was a funny joke. Many people treated “the end of the world” as though it was a joke.

Jesus was very serious and was not joking when He warned the Disciples, and us in the same way, about the end of the world. Read Matthew Chapter 24. The Disciples were questioning Jesus about the signs that would signify the end times. Jesus responded with comments on those coming in His name telling about the end of the world and claiming they are the Messiah. He said there would be wars and rumors of wars. He said there would be famine and earthquakes. Jesus said all of these things must happen before He returns.

It seems everywhere we look we can see clear examples of everything Jesus said. There have been earthquakes. Believe it or not, there are people in America that do not have enough to eat. The President announced He thinks Israel should be “downsized.” Psalms 108:8 says, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in people.”

But the point is that no matter how much we think we are right, no person on this earth can tell God what to do. What God says in His Word, the Bible, He means. It is up to God and God alone. Jesus was saying, unless God says it, do not believe it. Compare what we see and hear against God’s Word. God will either confirm it, or He will not reveal the truth to us until we are ready.

From the opening line of Genesis to the final words of Revelation, all of Scripture is divinely inspired. And every word has purpose and importance.

The Old Testament introduces us to God's nature, ways, and power; it lays the foundation for us to understand the Lord's holiness and humanity's desperate need for a Savior. The New Testament explains that when Jesus gave Himself as the sacrifice for our sins, He became our "bridge" to the Father. Its writings make clear why we must trust Christ for salvation, how to live as God's children, and what to expect in this life and after death.

Through the Scriptures, almighty God reveals Himself to us. He also says that His Word is important for teaching, warning, correction, instruction, and preparation for what we will face in life. No other book holds such value for living.

Ephesians 6:13-17 compares the Word to armor, and for good reason: in the battle of life, we have a real enemy who wants to destroy us. But God's power is greater, and "dressing" in war gear daily prepares His children for the temptations, lies, deception, and decisions they will face. We ought to be excited about the Word of God, for it is the only hope for mankind—and the only instruction that leads to victory both in life and after physical death.

The Bible predicted that many people would reject the truth, and a quick look at our culture shows that to be the case. Let’s not fall into the same trap. Meditate daily on Scripture, and ask God to reveal Himself. Life without His truth is destined for failure.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5 NLT)

Deaf Devotion 5/16/2011

“Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.” (1 Peter 4:12 NLT)

Has something bad ever happened and our first thought goes to: “Oh me. What did I do? I must have done something terrible. Otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened”? And before we knew it, we fell headlong into a pity party, taking ourselves apart piece by piece to see where we went wrong. We have all done something similar. It’s our human nature to do so.

But has the thought ever occurred that maybe we have done absolutely nothing wrong, and God is simply testing our faith? This is an important truth for us to understand, because if we don’t, we may get discouraged.

In the varied experiences of life, at one point or another, I’m sure we have all uttered the words which are no doubt in the heart of most every person experiencing trouble or temptation: "WHY ME?"

God leads us in another direction. God wants us to ask: "WHY NOT ME?"

Being a Christian does not in any way protect us from the very real unavoidable problems of life. In fact sometimes it would almost seem that the OPPOSITE IS TRUE!! The Christian at times seems to experience more than their fair share of problems and troubles.

We must constantly remind ourselves of the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:7, "We walk by faith and not by sight." If we try and reverse it and try to walk by SIGHT instead of faith, we will fail miserably!

Think about it. Many experiences of life make us more able to help others in their similar difficulties.

In any situation, God offers to give us His beauty in exchange for our ashes. He offers His faith for our fears, healing for our brokenness, joy for our sadness! He wants to swap His Success for our failures, and peace for worries.

He is inviting us to “cast your heavy burdens onto Him” and allow Him to lighten the load.

What others may want to use to harm us, God wants to turn around to use it to bless us and others! He wants us to put His positive next to our negative so that we can live abundantly IN HIM! This empowers us to live the abundant life He came to give!

Paul says that nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ. So when we start wondering why God allows something to happen TO ME, remember, He never said we would not face difficulties along the way. Trials, hardships and challenges will come into our lives. The Book of James does not make the point, IF the trials come, but James says WHEN they come, we can be prepared.

God says that we will never be outside of His care. So don’t Judge God’s love based on our situations; instead look for Him in the midst of them. Just like God was with Shaddrach, Meshach & Abednego in the fiery furnace, just like he was with Jonah in the belly of the whale, or Daniel in the lion’s den – He will be there for us!

Holding on to our faith in God in the face of disappointments, discouragement and difficulties allows God to empower us for victory!

Deaf Devotion 5/9/2011

“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!” (Matthew 25:23 NLT)

If we want to take root and to grow in our faith, and have a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, it is necessary to branch out in service. Serve God in the “little” things and He will be glorified. It's wonderful to accomplish great things for Christ, but sometimes God’s greatest works happen when we join Him in the “little” things.

It is not enough just to want to be a servant. We must be determined to be servants. We must be willing to step out in obedience and determined to help wherever God calls us to go.

There is a story of an angel who, at the start of a church building project, announced there would be a prize to the person who made the most noteworthy contribution to the finished project. Everyone worked hard, wanting to win--the architect, the contractor, the craftsmen, the artists, the carpenters, and even the Pastors and staff of the church. The winner turned out to be a poor elderly widow who every day carried hay to the ox that pulled the stones for the stonecutters.

Our faith grows as we serve, and we serve best when we're faithful in little things. Try branching out in a new area of Christian service, however small; and be faithful, so that one day the Lord of the Harvest will say, "Well done!"

We recognize the power of service in the world because it always makes a difference. It changes the situation.

Jesus looked at the leper and said, “Be clean” and instantly he was made clean,
Jesus spit into the dirt, made a little mud ball, rubbed it into a blind man’s eyes and said go wash in the pool of Siloam. This man, who had never seen flowers or looked into his mother’s eyes came back with perfect sight.
Jesus looked at the storm when others had lost faith and said, “Peace be still.”
Jesus knelt before the Disciples, including the one who would betray Him, with a basin of water and a towel and washed their feet.
Jesus looked at death and said let there be life.

“Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.” (Psalm 110:3a KJV)

What we do in service to our Lord and Savior should be done willingly. Even in the middle of our struggles, our pain, our sorrows, God still loves us and we should have the heart willing to serve our brothers and sisters. It’s not because we must do it. It’s because of the gift we have been given. We should have a desire to serve whatever way God calls us to serve. No service done in the name of Jesus Christ is ever wasted.

We freely give of our time, resources, praise, money, expertise, etc., because God freely gives His grace and mercy and Jesus freely gave His life so that you and I can live forever with Him.

You know it says in 2 Corinthians 9:7 “God loves a cheerful giver.” Serve without limit and with the attitude of glorifying God by how we serve. Then we celebrate the goodness of God together.

God is good, all the time!
All the time, God is good!