'His Strength'

DAY #12 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: Psalm 27:1 KJV ~ "The Lord is the strength of my life."

Is God the strength of your life, is He where you base your foundation? Is He your cornerstone, do you line up with His plumb line? We were actually just reminded of this fact at a Youth Conference I attended this past weekend. A plumb line is defined as;

'plumb line

n.
1. A line from which a weight is suspended to determine verticality or depth.
2. A line regarded as directed exactly toward the earth's center of gravity.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

It helps keep things straight and in balance. A cornerstone is the first stone you place on your foundation, so that all the other stones/bricks are put into place in the proper and straight place. Is your life balanced? Are you walking the 'straight & narrow'? The Bible says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV) Small is the gate, and narrow is the road that leads to life... have YOU found that road? 

If you keep in step with God EVERY day, then He can help lead & guide you towards the 'straight & narrow'. However, if you just give Him a few hours on a Sunday AM, or not even at all, just calling on Him when you are in troubs, then He cannot work fully in your life. He cannot give you the blessings that He has for you, and your life will not be fulfilled (as we spoke of in an earlier devotion here on Day #9). We need to reach out to Him, for His strength is what sustains us through each day (it is not truly our own). We might think we can do it on our own, yet it can only be BEST accomplished through the Lord who strengthens us. In Philippians 4:13, the Bible quotes, "I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

"God is as near as your next breath. He stands at the door of your heart and waits. Welcome him in and allow Him to rule. And then, accept the peace, and the strength, and the protection, and the abundance that only God can give." ('A Woman of Faith' Devotional. Day 12. ©2007 Freeman-Smith, LLC. Nashville, TN. 37202)

God is a gentleman after all, He doesn't force anyone to do anything. We have our own choice and free-will. He patiently waits for us to respond, and then when we welcome Him in and give Him control, our lives get flipped, turned upside-down. (not like the 'Fresh Prince' on TV, but the real Prince of Peace who can rule and reign in our hearts & lives.)

'So rejoice! You are giving Him whate He asks you to give Him -- the chance to show you what He can do.' ~Amy Carmichael

Remember... you must repent, and be sorry for your sins & iniquities (sins you did that you knew were wrong before you did them). It's as simple as A,B,C... Accept, Believe & Confess!

Be Blessed & be a Blessing!

 

December 5th, 2009 -- The Gate to Forgiveness

“POINTS TO PONDER” – December 5th
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own blog or comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

WHICH GATE HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO ENTER??


“Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”- John 10:7, 9-10


According to WIKIPEDIA.com, a gate is a point of entry to a space enclosed by walls, or an opening in a fence. Gates may prevent or control entry or exit, or they may be merely decorative. Other terms for gate include yett and port. Larger gates can be used for a whole building, such as a castle or fortified town, or the actual doors that block entry through the gatehouse. Today many gate doors are opened by an automated gate operator.


The Bible tells us that the only way to get to Heaven or to God is through Jesus (God’s Son). This is why Jesus is considered the gate. We can only enter through Him because of His blood. Jesus is also our Good Shepherd, and we are safe in Him and with Him. However, when we choose to take paths that God does not want us to take, or try to go off in our own will and way, we may get roughed up a little, but Jesus is always there to save us. The road to Heaven is like the road less travelled, in the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost. (Words below…)


Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

There is another verse in the Bible that states, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

Which road or gate have you chosen to walk on or through??

The narrow gate and the narrow road lead to life, and life more abundantly. (As stated in another translation of the Key Verse, John 10:10 – “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” NKJV) No matter what decision you make… you are in fact in charge of that decision. God gave us the willpower to choose. He offered us two main choices… well, actually He offered one choice, and it was a sacrifice on His part. The devil offered the other one, and it is sad to see that more people are choosing that way of life. It seems to be the easier route, so people are quick to jump through the wide gate, and take the broad road. But in the end of that road is destruction. There is a BIG ‘Road Ends’ or 'Bridge Out' sign at the end and in the end is a lake of fire. But thankfully, God has placed ‘U-turn’ signs along the broad path, that allow you to u-turn and come back to the narrow path. There is no end to the narrow path, but eventually the road beneath your feet turns to gold. What a great deal that is! We have all sinned, so none of us deserve to take the narrow path, yet Christ (the gate) died for us, and removed our sins from us, as far as the East is from the West. So through the grace and mercy of God, we are all able to choose to take the narrow path that leads to abundant life. It doesn’t matter what you have done, God can love you no less. He loves us all the same, and that makes it great. God can and will still forgive you from your sins, if you choose to repent!

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart, that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9&10 NIV (Ten, Nine & Ten - this verse as seen as T.N.T. the dynamite verse of the Bible) There is so much truth in this one verse alone, that you can study it further for yourself.

Choosing to take the ‘road less travelled’ starts with a single step, make that choice today!

Prayer: Father God, we thank you for giving Your Son as a WAY for us. We would die in our sins, and be lost eternally if it wasn’t for Your sacrifice of love. We thank You for Your love and mercy, and grace that allows us to enter through the narrow gate, and to travel along the narrow path that leads to abundant life. As it says in Your word, whoever enters that gate of life, through Your Son will be saved. You lead us on paths of righteousness, and we thank You for that as well. What a privilege it is to be called the ‘children of God’. We thank you as well that You accept all of us, no matter what we have done, as long as we take the time to repent. We take the time right now to ask for your forgiveness for things we have done in thought, word and deed; intentionally and unintentionally, that have gone against Your Word and Your ways. Please forgive us, and allow us to step boldly into Your throne-room, so that You will indeed hear our prayers, and that we may walk that narrow road that leads to You in Heaven one day where we will rejoice around your throne! God, we also pray for those who may be reading this, or are a part of our family and friends, who have not made this awesome decision yet. We pray for them, that You will allow Your love and forgiveness to just overflow their spirit, and that Your Spirit will convict their spirits, and reveal the truths from Your Word to them. Help them choose the narrow gate, through Your Son Jesus. Praise You Lord, and thank You for Your many benefits. We ask all these things in the powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!