Devotionals
SCRIPTURES FOR 2021
 
2 Corinthians 5:17 -
17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
 
Isaiah 43:18-19 -
18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, [and] rivers in the desert.
 
Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
 
Romans 13:11-13 -
11 And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
 
Hebrews 10:24-25 -
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
 
2 Peter 1:3-10 -
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
 
Psalms 34:8 -
8 O taste and see that the LORD [is] good: blessed [is] the man [that] trusteth in him.
 
Romans 12:1 -
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.
 
1 Chronicles 4:10 -
10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep [me] from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
 
Exodus 40:2 -
2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
 
Romans 14:11 -
11 For it is written, [As] I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
 
Matthew 11:6 -
6 And blessed is [he], whosoever shall not be offended in me.
 
Jeremiah 29:11 -
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
 
Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 -
9 The thing that hath been, it [is that] which shall be; and that which is done [is] that which shall be done: and [there is] no new [thing] under the sun.
10 Is there [any] thing whereof it may be said, See, this [is] new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
 
Zephaniah 3:17 -
17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
 
Philippians 2:8-11 -
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;
11 And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
A WORD SPOKEN AS A TESTIMONY AND SUBMITTED BY SIS. PRINCESS JONES ON SUNDAY 2/13/22:
 
"A thought

How do you help someone who has lost faith in God through the pain? And the new feelings of disbelief? What do I say to help them navigate? How do I avoid putting them in a place where they feel as though I am being overzealous or too righteous in my response?
We experience heartaches and pains and loss and suffering- how do we as Christians justify a God who allows it? What is the right thing to say? Is there a right thing to say?

This is hard for me because I don’t find myself blaming God for my issues... I think it’s important for me to explore why. Maybe my answers will be there.

Why don’t I blame God for my issues? I think it’s because when I think about the Bible and creation and I see and remember what happened in the garden: At the beginning of time you had two people who consciously made a decision to disobey God, and it completely changed the relationship between God and his creation. It introduced death, it introduced pain, and introduced suffering- this is something we inherited. And now because of that action, we are now born into sin and we have a savior in Jesus; who died for us. He shed blood so that we could freely come to him despite all of the pain and suffering and everything that is wrong with the world and humanity... Despite all of it, God loves us. He loves us so much that he rolled himself into flesh and gave his life for us so that the veil can be torn down and we could have a much closer relationship with Him, because of the pain and the suffering and the hurt and the sin that exists in this world. We need him! His guidance and peace! We suffer to grow close to God. And that is not something easily swallowed- especially for the nonbeliever. Where do we put this? How do we move forward in conversation with someone who doesn’t believe in God the way that we do? How do we tell them that their suffering is for someone that they don’t know they don’t see they don’t experience? Where do we go from that point?

Maybe it’s about building strength? Maybe it’s about longevity and perseverance and character-building? Maybe we suffer to grow. Aren’t there sayings about trying times making one greater? The storms help us to better prepare for the next one, right? It’s not possible to go through life without some type of suffering. So we have to be equipped to handle it and navigate it. Experience is the best teacher, right? We endure, we learn, we shift, and then we persevere and prosper. In this, we find purpose and reason. We find peace."

Princess Jones
Real Estate Advisor
414-531.2411
 
 
 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Morning, April 3
Today's Evening Reading
"They took Jesus, and led him away." - John 19:16

He had been all night in agony, he had spent the early morning at the hall of Caiaphas, he had been hurried from Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back again to Pilate; he had, therefore, but little strength left, and yet neither refreshment nor rest were permitted him. They were eager for his blood, and therefore led him out to die, loaded with the cross. O dolorous procession! Well may Salem's daughters weep. My soul, do thou weep also.

What learn we here as we see our blessed Lord led forth? Do we not perceive that truth which was set forth in shadow by the scapegoat? Did not the high-priest bring the scapegoat, and put both his hands upon its head, confessing the sins of the people, that thus those sins might be laid upon the goat, and cease from the people? Then the goat was led away by a fit man into the wilderness, and it carried away the sins of the people, so that if they were sought for they could not be found. Now we see Jesus brought before the priests and rulers, who pronounce him guilty; God himself imputes our sins to him, "the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all;" "He was made sin for us;" and, as the substitute for our guilt, bearing our sin upon his shoulders, represented by the cross; we see the great Scapegoat led away by the appointed officers of justice. Beloved, can you feel assured that he carried your sin? As you look at the cross upon his shoulders, does it represent your sin? There is one way by which you can tell whether he carried your sin or not. Have you laid your hand upon his head, confessed your sin, and trusted in him? Then your sin lies not on you; it has all been transferred by blessed imputation to Christ, and he bears it on his shoulder as a load heavier than the cross.

Let not the picture vanish till you have rejoiced in your own deliverance, and adored the loving Redeemer upon whom your iniquities were laid.

-- C.H.Spurgeon Morning and Evening Daily Devotional