Pastors' Corner @life-pastors - Tumblr Blog

Sharing Hope in Hard Times - Seeking His Face

Scripture Reading: 1 Philippians 1:19-24

19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.[a] 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body,whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

Key Verse: Philippians 1:20

"When you live above the hardness of your circumstances as Paul did, God will protect and keep you. He will also preserve the message of hope He has commanded you to take to a lost and dying world. Don't let others' criticism keep you from obeying God. When you feel discouraged, go to Him. Ask Him to plant Scripture in your heart, so you may experience His hope in a desperate times and share that hope with others."

Prayer: "Lord, use me for Your kingdom purposes. Plant Your Word in heart so I can share hope with others."

Note: Jesus is the Hope that we have in our lives, He lives in our heart. Let's share this hope to others that we see and meet this week. Let us be a church that has the light of hope always on. May God bless us and guide us this new week.

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

How to Treat Unbeilevers - Seeking His Face

Scripture Reading: Colossians 4:5-6

"5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

Key Verse: Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

"Don't judge those around you who are not Christians. Focus instead on releasing the love of Christ through your daily lifestyle.

Everybody needs the Lord-even people who seemingly resist all overtures. The love and grace of God expressed through your words and deeds can be amazingly used by Him in a most wonderful way."

Prayer: "Lord, help me to express Your love and grace through kind words and deeds today."

Note: We are to show love and not judge, we are to serve those are in need, that's what being a Christian is all about.

#morningwithJesus #devotional #lifeinchrist

The Mystery of Salvation (From Seeking His Face)

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 3:1-10

3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

Key Verse: Ephesians 3:10

"Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to know and experience the fullness of God. We become many who need to know the personal reality of God's love. Become a beacon of His truth by asking Him to bring those across your path who are in need of a Savior."

Prayer: "Dear heavenly Father; make me a beacon of Your truth. Bring those across my path who are in need of a Savior."

Note: The Bible says that the Son of Man came to seek and to save, God sent forth His Son Jesus Christ to save the lost, to give medicine to the sick, to give hope to this world." Peace and Joy comes in accepting Christ in our lives, in our hearts."

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

A Bowl of Hot Soup (Seeking His Face Devotional)

Scipture Reading: James 2:14-20

Key Verse: James 2:20 "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without work is dead?"

"While believers realize good works to do not bring salvation, we all sometimes act as if we don't realize salvation should bring good works. You were saved by grace through Christ's sacrifice on the Cross. You didn't work for it and could not have earned it if you tried. However, you can offer expressions of gratitude to God with your conduct and character."

Prayer: "Lord, show me ways to do good to those in need around me."

Note: How fitting is this devotion specially after our 2015 Planning last Saturday. Jesus says that if we do "these" things to one we did it to Him. As we embrace our vision and mission for 2015 to go and make disciples, to go and bring hope to those that have none, bring joy to those that are need of it, lets pray that He will constantly transform our hearts to have the heart of Christ for His children.

Matthew 25:31-46New International Version (NIV)

The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fireprepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

Light of the Lost

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Key Verse: John 6:40 "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

"But there likely will come a time when the self-sufficient life of a spiritually blind person bottoms out. When he has nowhere else to turn, when he is completely desperate and searching for answers, God may turn your candle into a flame-thrower. The example provided, the testimony you have repeatedly given, the Scripture you have recited, the love you have shown - all are light to a lost person. And since it is light of Jesus, it is bright light indeed. While you're praying for spiritually blind people, be sure to offer the light of Christ to them."

Prayer: "Lord, make me a candle in the darkness. Use me to open the eyes of those around me who are spiritually blind."

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

A Demanding Decision - Seeking His Face

Scripture Reading: John 6:53-58

Key Verse: 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."

"When Nicodemus first heard Jesus, he did not have the spiritual aptitude to understand the deeper truths of God. Still, his heart's desire was to know truth. Like many today, Nicodemus could sing the hymns, but the words had little meaning beyond Jewish tradition.

After His death, Nicodemus was one of the only two men who claimed Christ's body for burial. He did that at great personal risk. More than likely, after his display of devotion to Jesus, Nicodemus lost his position as a teacher of the law. Living in devotion to Christ demands a decision. Nicodemus made his."

Prayer: "Lord, give me the desire to help others make a decision for You."

Note: What is your decision today? What is our decision as a church today? Do we follow Christ at all cost? Or just do church for the sake of doing church? What is that "demands a decision" that we need to make in order to live a life devoted to Christ and Kingdom Work?

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

Investing in Eternity - Seeking His Face

Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:1-4

Key Verse: Colossians 3:2 "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth."

"Your identity in Christ places your true citizenship in heaven. In a real sense, you don't belong here, where things pass away and change continually. It's been said that the only things that are eternal are God's Word and people. When you invest your time in the eternal, your time is not wasted. And best of all, one day you'll see the investments of your life to com to fruition."

Prayer: "Lord, I want to invest my time in eternal things. I want to see the investments of my life come to fruition in heaven."

Note: Are we as an individual and as a church investing in heaven. Where is our time / energy / resources going to. Is it for the Kingdom of God or is it for earthly things. As we prepare for 2015 lets continue to pray and fast this week so that we can invest everything into the Work of God.

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

God Works Through You - Seeking His Face

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-5

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 1:4 "I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus."

"Maybe you feel inadequate talking about your faith in Christ because you are not a dynamic speaker. You hold back, even when a perfect opportunity present itself, just because you are self-conscious. But God never intended for you to rely on your own abilities as witness."

"We know from other passages that Paul was an excellent public debater, but that is not his point here. He deliberately approached the Corinthians with an attitude of humble simplicity, in weakness, so that God would do the work through him. Regardless of your abilities, God wants to pour His power into your life to enable you to do His work."

Prayer: "Precious Lord, pour Your power into my life. Enable me to do Your work."

Fools for Growth - Seeking His Face

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5:6-10

Key Verse: 1 Peter 5:10 "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."

"Peter reminded the early church that the outcome of their faith would produce results. No matter what you are facing, you can trust that God stands beside you, and He will take your difficulties and persecution and bring tremendous sense of victory out of each one. Let Him show you how to use life's difficulties as tools for tremendous spiritual growth and witness to others."

Prayer: "Lord, please teach me how to use life's difficulties as tools for spiritual growth and witness of others."

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

Stimulated to Action - Seeking His Face

Scripture Reading: Acts 17:22-31

Key Verse: Acts 17:16 "Now while Paul waited for them to Athens, his spirit provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols."

"Warren Wiersbe comments on Paul's effort: 'Paul's message is a master piece of communication. He started where the people were by referring to their altar dedicated to an unknown god. Having aroused their interest, he then explained who that God is and what He is like. He concluded the message with a personal application that left each council member facing a moral decision, and some of them decided for Jesus Christ."

Prayer: "Dear Lord, stimulate me to action in behalf of lost souls. Provoke me to respond."

Note: Does the Cross of Christ provoked to respond to the lost? Does the truth lead to sharing the Gospel? I pray that for 2015 we as church truly soaked in the heart of Christ for the lost. Lets continue pursuing our mission and vision for 2015 to seek to search does that are lost.

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

People God Picks - Seeking His Face

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 2:12-17

Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 2:14 "Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place."

"God rarely picks people who are extremely qualified to do His work. Rather, He often chooses those who, from the world's perspective, are weak and less than qualified, yet have deep hunger to know Him."

"God is your strength. And He alone deserves all the glory and honor from every good thing you do. Give Him praise for your life today."

Note: It is only through His Spirit dwelling in us that we can do all things. Unless God builds the house those who labor, labor in vain. Give back all the praises to God because He deserves all praises and honor.

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

The Trials of Life - Seeking His Face

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 1:13-16

Key Verse: 1 Peter 1:16 "Because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

"You are handling trials of life victoriously when you..

1. Remove any hindrances to your spiritual walk with the Lord

2. Resolve to remain balanced in your judgment.

3. Refuse to take the easy, quick way out of a situation.

4. Recognize that your only true hope is in Christ

5. Resist the temptation to return to your former lifestyle

Prayer: "Lord, remove any hindrances in my spiritual walk. Help me to remain balanced, to refuse to take the easy way out of situations, and not to return to my former lifestyle."

Note: Fully surrender your life to Him, live a life that is worthy of His calling for your.

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

Providing God's Promises - Seeking His Face

Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 2:11-13

Key Verse: Malachi 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."

"God uses our trials to mold and shape us into images of His love and grace. To face heartache and suffering victoriously, we must believe there is hope. This is where faith comes into play. God wants to bless you. But you must learn to trust Him with every issue of life; then the blessing will come abundantly."

Prayer: "Dear Lord, help me to recognize trials as challenges from You to claim a larger blessing than I have ever had. Help me to delight in them as opportunities for securing a larger measure of Your grace."

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

Uncontrollable Circumstances - Seeking His Face

Scripture Reading: Psalm 40:1-8

Key Verse: Psalm 40:2 "He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps."

"Each of us faces moments when life requires a change of plans. Sudden and unplanned interruptions or crises have the potential to send us reeling toward disaster. However, as a believer, you do not have to submit to mind boggling actions."

"Jesus kept a rigorous schedule that was often accented by what seemed to be emergencies or unscheduled delays. Yet never once was He taken off guard nor did He become fractious over the needs and desires others placed on Him."

Prayer: "Father, help me to remain quite and confident when circumstances seem out of control, know that they are actually under Your divine control."

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

The Greater Good - Seeking His Face

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 50:8-11

Key Verses: Lamentations 3:21-22 "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because of HIs compassion fail not."

"God wants you to depend on Him. Not just for the big things, but for the everyday trials as well. When was the lat time you faced a situation that appeared too great for you to handle? Were you determined to go through on your own steam? If you were, you missed the wonder of God's deliverance. There is a tremendous hope to be gained in this life, but you must lay down your rights and allow God to be your very life in order to experience it."

Prayer: "Lord, help me to lay down my rights and allow You to be my life. I seek the greater good!"

Note: The Lord God is extending His hands to us, in fact its always open for us to embrace specially in our difficult hour, will trust Him and acknowledge Him in all situation you face.

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

Good Out of Evil - Seeking His Face

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:15-17

Key Verse: Romans 8:28 "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose"

"God uses the trials we face to teach us more about Himself. Even when we create the havoc by disobeying Him, God can bring good out of evil (Romans 8:28). However, we must be willing to submit to His plan and let go of the things that draw us away from His fellowship."

Prayer: "Father, please direct my path and bring good out of evil."

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

Stay on Course - 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 1:5 "As the suffering of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ."

"He uses life's trials to teach you how to trust and depend on Him in a greater way. Times of emotional darkness are His training grounds. It is the disappointments and misunderstandings of life that God stretches your muscles of faith."

Prayer: "Father, I refuse to be drawn off course by life's trials. Help me keep my focus on You. Guide me through troubled times victoriously."

Note: May the power of God rest upon us all to keep us strong, to keep us focus, to keep us on His path. Today what ever we do, where ever we go, be reminded that whatever happens God is with us.

#morningwithJesus #devotion #lifeinchrist

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Pastors' Corner