Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Beginning to Forever, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study

The Road that Leads to Grace

There is such beauty and hope in the book of Romans. It is the hope of our salvation. It is the glory of the Father and the reality of the Son. It is the forgiveness of sin, the promise of Heaven, and the gift of eternal life. It is the message we have been commissioned to carry to the ‘farthest ends of the earth, so that all might hear and believe and share in the hope of our salvation.

When we come to Christ as broken sinners, He exchanges our sin for His righteousness.

Gotquestions.org

Today’s journey is a collection of passages known as the Romans Road, which leads us straight to God’s gift of eternal life—by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:8-9). This road through Romans is the main thoroughfare of our faith. It presents the problem, which is sin (Rom 3:23), and then the answer/provision, which is God’s deep, deep love for us, even while we were sinners (Romans 5:8). The next stop on the journey (Romans 6:23) reminds us that our sin demands a payoff, and that payoff is death. But thanks be to God, Jesus paid our debt! So that now, when we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved (Romans 10:9-10). ~ As today’s journal entry puts it: “It is at this moment that we are saved and cross over from death to life. God no longer views us by our sin but by Christ’s righteousness.”

“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

2 Corinthians 5:21.

Friends, while God’s gift of eternal life is good news for us who have believed and been saved, for those who have not yet believed in the message of the Gospel, there is bound to be a fair amount of discouragement and misery on this Romans Road. For without faith in Jesus and the eternal life that is available to all who believe, there is no hope. This, my friends, is why we must not neglect our calling to shine the light of Jesus wherever we go in this dark, foreboding world.

Father, may we align our hearts with Your desire for all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth1 – and may we live and pray to that end. ~ In the name of Jesus and for Your eternal glory, I pray ~Amen.

If you have not put your faith in Jesus Christ, if you do not know the hope of eternal life, I invite you to visit the link ‘Know These Truths’ and let me introduce you to the One who gave His life so that you might live. If you have questions or are ready to take the next step, please message me at m.black@lmbc.org ~

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Beginning to Forever, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Thanksgiving

The Promised Rescue

Based on the Love God Greatly Study, From the Beginning to Forever/w5d5

Read: John 20:1-9 and Matthew 28:16-20/SOAP: Matthew 28:19-20

So the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:16-20 NET or NKJV

Hey friends, today is the first day of November, which means Thanksgiving is just around the corner, with Christmas quickly following – BUT Easter is the highlight of today’s devotion and the main event of our FAITH – for great is the victory that overcame our sin! If you’re still journeying with me in this study, you won’t want to miss the beautiful and encouraging words from the Love God Greatly team that I’m sharing with you today.

“The Saturday of Easter weekend was one of the darkest days of human history. But then Sunday morning came. As the sun rose, the ground shook, and the stone that kept the tomb closed rolled back. Jesus had risen! The grave could not hold Him. Sin and death were defeated forever, winning our salvation. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest news ever. No longer do we have to stay in our sins or live without hope. Salvation and freedom are found through faith in Jesus. The rescue that was promised in Genesis 3:15 had been accomplished.” -From the Beginning to Forever, p163

Sisters, if you are not all kinds of excited and shouting hallelujah, please read that quote again – because it is the greatest message of hope there has ever been or ever will be! As believers, not only is it our hope in life and death, but we have been given the incredible task and privilege of sharing it with the world around us. Which, as today’s journal entry points out, “is not a commandment that we can opt in or out. It is one we are all meant to obey.”

Friends, please do not let this commandment unnerve you. It can be daunting for sure, but remember – when we share this message, we share the hope of eternal life with a lost and dying world.

What is our message of hope? JESUS LIVES!

Or, as the songwriter, Melody Green, wrote:

*There Is a Redeemer lyrics © Universal Music – Brentwood Benson Publ., Birdwing Music, Ears To Hear Music, Ewi Incorporated

May this be our first of many things to give thanks for in the days and weeks to come.🦋

Join me on Monday for the final week of this journey.💕

Dearest Reader, if you do not know Jesus, the hope of the promised rescue, I would love to introduce Him to you. You can start with the link, Know These Truths, and/or contact me at mryelnb@aol.com or m.black@lmbc.org

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Beginning to Forever, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study

His Name is Changed

Based on the LGG Study, From the Beginning to Forever/w2d4

Read: Genesis 27:19-29 and 35:9-15; SOAP: Genesis 35:11

Then God said to him, “I am the Sovereign God. Be fruitful and multiply! A nation–even a company of nations–will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants!

Genesis 35:11

As we move on our journey, remember that God promised to make Abraham’s family a great nation. Here we meet one of Isaac’s sons, Jacob. Jacob’s name means ‘deceiver,” and he lives up to his name.

On our journey this week, we have been introduced to or reacquainted with Abraham and his son Isaac, and today’s passage introduces the third patriarch, Jacob. Jacob was one of the sons of Isaac and a twin brother to Esau. If you’ve read their story, then you know that in his younger years, Jacob was both a manipulator and a deceiver. Not only does he manipulate and deceive his twin, Esau, by tricking him into giving Jacob his birthright for a measly bowl of stew, but he also tricks and manipulates his father, Isaac. into giving him the blessing of the firstborn son, which was rightfully Esau’s.

The LGG Journal entry says it best:

Jacob is one of the most unlikely people God could use to bring glory to His name and from whom the promised Rescuer would come. But God is in the business of doing the impossible.

Later in Genesis 35, God meets Jacob and changes his name to Israel. God reaffirms the command to Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply as well as the promise to Abraham that his family would be a great nation.

God would keep His promise and provide Jacob with twelve sons. These twelve sons would become the twelve tribes of Israel. Here again, God gives us another puzzle piece to find the Savior. Now we know that He would be an Israelite.

You may read this and feel similarly to Jacob. You may feel like the most unlikely candidate for God to use. Remember, you were born with a purpose, and God uses the most unlikely of people, places, and things in His story of redemption.

LGG Journal, From the Beginning to Forever/p181

Because I know all too well who I was before God changed my name, every time I read this story, I am reminded how good it is to know that God redeems even the worst of us! Even me.

Friends, if you read this and find yourselves feeling like the most unlikely candidates God to use – remember these final words of encouragement from today’s journal:

Remember, you were born with a purpose, and God uses the most unlikely of people, places, and things in His story of redemption.

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Beginning to Forever, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study

Believing God Even When …

based on the Love God Greatly Study, From the Beginning to Forever/w2d2

Read: Genesis 15; SOAP: verses 5-6

Have you ever doubted God’s Word or promises? Have you ever found yourself thinking you need to help God out? Have you ever grown tired of waiting for God to work something out or to do what you thought should be done…or expected Him to do? Have you ever manipulated situations to move things along in the ‘right’ or ‘quicker’ direction/outcome?

Well, I know I could answer yes to all of the above. I’m guessing, from the number of conversations I’ve had with others, that most of you could answer yes as well, at least to some of them. Waiting isn’t easy…trusting isn’t easy (at least not always). ..but God is always working things together for our good. He always hears, always cares, always knows/does what’s best, and He is always right on time. He is always able, always trustworthy, and never needs our help… But friends, we always need His – and we are wise to seek Him, which, if you notice, is precisely what Abram did.

As Abram waited for God to deliver on His promises to give him a son, even though He was 75 years old and Sarai, his wife, was barren. It wasn’t easy. Abram could not see how it was going to work out, but instead of giving up or turning away from God, he not only trusted God but he also sought Him. I love how Bibleref.com explains it: “Abram takes the opportunity to ask his hard question to the source of his hope.” The commentary goes on to explain, “Sometimes asking a hard question in prayer is the most faithful step a believer can take. Acknowledging our own limitations to God, while asking for His wisdom, is a much better approach than suffering in silence or ignorance. At times, admitting that we cannot understand God’s plan is part of submitting ourselves to it. As we’ll see through Abram’s example,” and as I have found to be true in my own life, “God is always fully faithful to keep His Word.”

One of the most beautiful things I’ve learned from the times of waiting, or stretching my faith to believe the impossible, or, like Abram, wondering how the seemingly impossible would or could even happen, is that God is a very personal God who is intimately involved in our lives. He lovingly, compassionately takes the time to listen and to assure us (and reassure us) that He can do what He says He will do. It is in the waiting and the watching – and the walking by faith instead of ‘sight’, that our trust in and relationship with God is strengthened and grown.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

Friends, may we learn to turn to the Lord when doubts arise. May we lay the doubt at His feet and trust that He is faithfully carrying out His promises and perfect plan.

 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Philippians 4:6
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Beginning to Forever, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study

The Ark of Grace

based on the LGG Study, From the Beginning to Forever/w1d4

Read Genesis 6:11-14 and 17-22 or KJV; SOAP: Genesis 8:1

Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!

14 “Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior.

“Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”

22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

Genesis 6:11-14, 17-22 NLT

I recently went with a friend to the “Sights and Sounds” production of Noah, so it is very fresh in my mind, making today’s portion of the journey a bit more 3-D in my mind’s eye. Watching it play out on the big screen certainly made me realize, at least in some small way, the depth of courage, faith, and work it must have taken for Noah and his family to actually live through the reality of it…not to mention the fear and agony of knowing the earth would be destroyed and all life with it. The unknown factors, such as whether the boat would truly keep them safe, and what would happen afterwards, not to mention the thought of being trapped on an enclosed vessel for that long, would have been added concerns, at least for me. Reading the story on the pages of Scripture has never been less than a marvel, but seeing it portrayed in the theater, was an impressive revelation to Noah’s complete trust in God, his commitment to this strange call of God, and his family’s commitment to work with him and follow Noah’s lead despite the unknowns.

While the theatrical production embellished the story for effect, the reality is we only know the short version of what God tells us in His Word, where we see God’s utter disappointment in humans and what they had become and what they had done to His once tranquil and beautiful creation. Adam and Eve’s sinful choice to trade life for death had indeed brought about death and destruction, except for Noah and his family, because Noah had found grace in the eyes of the Lord. As I poured these words out on the pages of my journal, I couldn’t help but thank God for the grace He has shown to me/us, through the righteousness of Christ alone, and the salvation extended to all who abide in Him.

In the show about Noah, there were a few scenes where he would warn others about what was coming. He pleaded with them to listen, so that they would not perish. Whether or not this is how it actually happened, in the years it took to build the ark, possibly 120 years, Noah certainly had the time to “preach righteousness1” Gotquestions.org points out an interesting and convicting truth, saying: “In addition to Noah’s proclamations to the unbelieving world of his day was his “wordless preaching.” In the very construction of the ark, Noah bore witness to righteousness. Every hammer blow, every pounding of a nail was a call to repentance and a declaration that judgment was coming.

May our hearts be burdened for those who are lost and in danger of perishing. May God find us faithfully sharing His message of love and gift of grace, and bearing witness to righteousness – so that no one will perish.2

Friends, as Noah’s family entered into the Ark, trusting God to save them, we must enter into a relationship with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. When we do this, we receive the promise of eternal life, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, enabling us to abide (live in) Christ. Because of this act of love and grace, when this earth is again destroyed,3 those who are found “in” Christ will be saved from the destruction to live with God for eternity. 4

The More We Know

Jesus called out the fact that Noah’s contemporaries ignored the message that would have saved them. At the same time, the Lord warned us of making the same mistake: “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26–27).

The point of Peter referencing Noah and others like him in his second epistle is that, if God did not spare the ancient world who rejected Noah’s warnings, how much less can He be expected to spare those who dismiss His calls to repentance today?

Gotquestions.org

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Love, Secure In Christ, Thanksgiving

Imitators of God

based on the LGG Study, Secure in Christ/w5d1

Read: Ephesians 5:1-5; SOAP: verses 1-2

Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children 2 and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. 3 But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints. 4 Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting—all of which are out of character—but rather thanksgiving. 5 For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Ephesians 5:1-5

Paul has been teaching/reminding the believers how to live the Christian life. Specifically, he has been teaching them not to live by the sinful nature as they used to before salvation, but to live by the Spirit, living and loving like Jesus. Specifically, here Paul says, they are to be kind to one another, they are to be compassionate and forgiving, “just as God in Christ” forgave them.

As believers, we are to live and love like Jesus, or as Paul writes here, we are to be imitators of God. When we follow Christ, we choose to consistently live and love like Him. We are to purposefully practice His way of life, which Paul explains to the Ephesians was not only a life of love, but one of sacrifice that pleased God.

Paul leaves no ‘wiggle room’ for the believers. He not only makes it clear what imitating God looks like. He makes it very clear what it does not look like, namely, sexual impurity of any kind…greed…vulgar speech…foolish talk…and/or coarse joking. Paul says that all of these things are out of character for a believer/follower of Jesus and goes on to say that our words should instead be filled with gratitude/thanksgiving. – Please note the More We Know section for helpful explanations on this list of ‘things not to do’.

While verse five is not our focus today, I believe it is important to understand the meaning behind it. God makes it very clear in His Word that we cannot lose the gift of salvation that He has graciously given to all who believe in His Son, (Eph 2:8-9) However, as Paul rightly points out here, when/if we are still choosing to live, act, speak, think in the ways of the old sinful nature that once ruled us, we would be wise to ask ourselves why. As Scripture says, we cannot serve the true and living God and the gods and the pleasures of this world. We must choose “whom we will serve” – the true and living God or the gods of the world and the flesh.

As you take this choice into consideration, consider first the words of Paul to the believers in Rome. He makes it very clear that one leads to death and the other to life.  For if you live by the sinful nature, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. As you evaluate yourselves, be careful and honest in your evaluation. If you are living by the sinful nature ask God for help to turn from those practices and choose instead to walk in the power of His Spirit in you. Choose you this day whom you will serve; will that way lead to death or life and peace?

6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.

Romans 8:6-13

May God help us be careful in our evaluations of ourselves. May we make no excuses for any actions or words that are not pleasing to Him. May we put to death anything in us that leads us away from God, and may we be filled and living faithfully by His Spirit.

The More We Know

 But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind,or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints.

Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting—all of which are out of character—but rather thanksgiving. 

Still living by the old sinful nature? Want to know the power and gift of life in the Spirit? Check out Know These Truths and let me introduce you to my Jesus, God’s gift of love and grace.

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Secure In Christ

From Having No Hope to Being Brought Near

based on the LGG Study, Secure in Christ, w2d3

Read: Ephesians 2:11-13; SOAP 2:13

Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh—who are called “uncircumcision” by the so-called “circumcision” that is performed on the body by human hands— 12 that you were at that time without the Messiah, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:11-13 NET (KJV Version)

I love the way Paul writes about this subject to the believers in Colossae, in Colossains chapter 3. Paul reminds believers that they have put off their old nature and should now put on the new nature, get to know God, and become like Him. He goes on to tell them that “In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” Here in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul paints another ‘before-and-after’ picture. Summing the old nature up in verse 12, Paul reminds them that at one time they (the Gentiles, those who were not Jews) were without the Messiah, alienated from the citizenship of Israel (the Jews) and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. That is definitely a very bleak before picture. Yet, Paul doesn’t stop there. Instead, he continues with these words of great hope in a portrait of the “after”: “But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

Is there any better news for those of us who were ‘far off’, having no hope and without God in the world, than to learn that by the blood of Jesus Christ we have been brought near to God?

Thank You God for Jesus’ blood, the hope of the world! Thank You for the reminders in Your Word that we were once without hope at all, and no claim to Your covenants of promise. Death and destruction were our ‘fate’! “But now in Christ Jesus,” by Your gift of grace through faith, we have the joy of being “brought near by the blood” of our Savior, Your only begotten Son. – We are a people most blessed! – Amen

The More We Know

It should be noted that Paul is pointing out that the circumcision of old was performed by human hands, while the circumcision of the heart is by the blood of Jesus Christ. Read the following link by Gotquestions.org for more on the important difference …

Set Apart to God –

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Secure In Christ

No Longer Dead

Based on the LGG Study, Secure in Christ, w2d1

Read Ephesians 2:1-5; SOAP: Ephesians 2:4-5

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

Ephesians 2;4-5

There are a lot of “but God” moments in my life and in the Bible, but verse 4 of Ephesians 2 is perhaps the biggest “but God” statement ever. Paul writes that “we were dead in our trespasses and sins…but God made us alive!” This wasn’t a transformation earned or deserved, but rather an act of mercy and love, a gift of grace. Paul wrote something similar to the Corinthians, telling them, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!” As Paul explains it to the Ephesians, God gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead.

What are some “But God” moments in your life?

Have you ever noticed the “but God” moments in your day-to-day life? Sometimes they are more obvious than others, but I guarantee they are there. Ask God to help you see them, to be alert to what He is doing in your life or that of your family and friends. Write them down and read them often, look for them in Scripture. Take time to praise Him for them, remembering they are precious and priceless acts of His mercy, love, and/or grace.

  • When I was five years old, when no one was looking, I disobeyed my parents, climbed into my brother’s Batmobile car, and rolled right out into the street. I was hit by a car…but God spared my life.
  • My daughter Annie was diagnosed with leukemia on her 10th birthday…she faced many difficult battles and was in and out of the ICU for several years…but God healed her.
  • My daughter Abi was born with crippled (club) feet…but God healed her.

These are just a few of my life’s bigger “but God” moments. There are plenty more, including the day-to-day “but God” moments of seeing things like His protection from a wreck or His provision of a necessity when I saw no way for it to happen. All of them, the ‘big’ and the ‘day-to-day’, remind me of His goodness and His faithful love, mercy, and grace. Yet none can compare to the truth of Paul’s statement in my own life – for I was dead in my trespasses and sins…but God…gave me life and now I live!

Good news, good news, Christ died for me, Good news, good news, if I believe, Good news, good news, I’m saved eternally. That’s wonderful, extra good news!

CEF/children’s song

While the Spirit directed my thoughts/writing to the “but God” phrase Paul used, it is crucial to note and understand the significance of Paul’s words in verse 5: that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!). Today’s journal entry by Love God Greatly sums it up nicely:

Paul writes the truth of our state before God. He states that we were dead in our offenses and sins. Sin is anything we think, say, or do that is not pleasing or honoring to God. Our sin completely separates us from our holy God. Not only were we dead in our sins, but we chose to sin. We indulged in our desires and were deserving of wrath. There was nothing we could do in our broken, depraved state.

It isn’t that God gave us a hall pass to be forgiven. No, He took our dead state and made us completely new. The old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is why the gospel of Jesus Christ is such good news! You have been made alive and new!”

Secure in Christ Journal/p67

Thank you, God, for loving us so much. Thank You for your rich mercies and amazing grace, and for Jesus Christ, who died so we could live!

Oh, what love, no greater love
Grace, how can it be
That in my sin, yes, even then
He shed His blood for me

O the Blood/Kari Jobe
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Secure In Christ

More…

based on the LGG Study, Secure In Christ, w1d5

Read: Ephesians 1:15-23; SOAP: verses 16-17

I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 

Ephesians 1:16-17

After nearly three years of living with the believers at Ephesus, Paul had come to know them well. He was impressed, not only by their faith but by their love for one another. It was clear to him that they knew the facts and blessings of salvation as well as the future hope believers have with God. Clearly, this knowledge and his relationship with them fostered the beautiful and heartfelt prayer for them to more fully understand the importance of their salvation and eternal hope, and grow in their knowledge of God. Oh, that we might pray for and encourage each other like this.

Today’s journal entry by the Love God Greatly team is too beautiful and encouraging not to share. I pray it blesses you as it has me. I pray for each of you, truly from the heart, that together we might understand the blessing of our salvation and the hope we have in Jesus Christ. I pray that He might give us spiritual wisdom and insight so that, together, we might grow in our knowledge of God. You are dearly loved and such a blessing to me. 💕🦋

Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Fellowship with God

based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus/w1d5

Read and SOAP: 1 John 1:6

If we say we have fellowship with Him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth.

1 John 1:6

The following post is from the LGG Journal, Abiding in Jesus, p. 57, and can also be found on the Love God Greatly app/w1d5. If you are not familiar with Love God Greatly, visit https://lovegodgreatly.com/about/ . The ministry is filled with women who love the Lord and are working hard “to help EVERY WOMAN in EVERY NATION have access to God’s Word in THEIR LANGUAGE.” God is using the ministry to change the lives of women here and around the world, and He has used it to change me from the insideout. 🦋

Walking in the light through confession

“Abiding in Christ means choosing to walk in His light, live transparently before Him, and allow His truth to shape every part of our lives. But sin disrupts this fellowship and creates a distance between us and God.

That is why we need to make confessing our sins to God a regular habit in our lives. Confession is a powerful, freeing practice that keeps our hearts free and aligned with God. It isn’t simply about listing our wrongs and moving forward without any change. It’s about bringing all our sins before Him because we are truly sorry, surrendering fully to His grace, and walking in humility and obedience.

As we confess, Jesus steps into our brokenness and heals us. He reminds us that His love and grace are greater than our failures.

This ongoing process of confession and cleansing is essential to bearing fruit. Just as a vine requires clean, unhindered pathways to deliver nutrients to its branches, we need to keep the pathway to Christ open. When we confess, we allow the Holy Spirit to flush out all the accumulated dirt. This is where true fruit is born, not from our own efforts but from a heart fully surrendered to Him.

Abiding in Christ is an act of trust. Even when we fall short, He is faithful to restore us. Confession isn’t a burden but an invitation to have our guilt removed, to walk more intimately with Jesus, and let His love work deeply in our hearts.

Dear Jesus, thank You for Your mercy. Help me to stay close to You by confessing my sins to You and allowing Your grace to cleanse and restore me. Amen.”

The More We Know

If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Savior, or if you have questions about how to know Him and receive His free gift, please click on “Know These Truths.”