Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
September 18, 2022
Read: Hebrews 4:12-16
12 because God’s word is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates to the point that it separates the soul from the spirit and the joints from the marrow. It’s able to judge the heart’s thoughts and intentions. 13 No creature is hidden from it, but rather everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of the one to whom we have to give an answer. 14 Also, let’s hold on to the confession since we have a great high priest who passed through the heavens, who is Jesus, God’s Son; 15 because we don’t have a high priest who can’t sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin. 16 Finally, let’s draw near to the throne of favor with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace when we need help.
Good morning! Reach out and claim the mercy and grace offered to us through Christ.
We are created in the image of God, yet we each have weaknesses within our human existence. It is through the process of working through challenges that we become stronger. Most of us know someone to whom everything in high school was easy. They were athletic, made good grades, and everyone liked them. Without even trying, success seemed to follow them. If we followed their story, we would find that later when they were faced with a challenge, they struggled to handle things because they had never developed coping skills.
The idea of living a perfect, unchallenged life might appeal to us, especially when we are working through difficult challenges. However, to have this type of life requires us to be stripped of our ability to make choices for ourselves. We would simply be puppets controlled by a puppet master like we read in stories of utopian societies.
God blesses us with free will so that we can live life to the fullest. We make choices: some good and some bad. We are challenged based upon our choices, based upon the choices of others, and based upon natural consequences. When we slip and fall, God is by the side of all who call Christ their Lord and Savior. Christ knows our pain because he walked among us and experienced the temptations that we encounter.
When we are in a relationship with God, we will be led by the Holy Spirit so that we might find our way back to the path of righteousness. A relationship with God begins with spending time in daily prayer, is fueled by reading Scripture, and is nurtured as we join together in fellowship with the body of believers.
“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9
Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. Thank you for our blessings. Let us embrace the challenges that You set before us with Joy. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Prayer can help me discover strength in my weaknesses.
Let the weak say, I am strong! Pastor Liz
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