Teach Others As Well

Portion : 2 Timothy 2

"And what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well." 2 Timothy 2:2

Many of us have been taught by faithful parents. Parents who put their trust in God first and passed on to their children the teachings of salvation and faith in Christ. For others, it has been the teachings of faithful friends or coworkers who have brought them to a knowledge of Christ Jesus. God has given us faithful elders and faithful brothers and sisters to teach us valuable things from His Word. In each of our lives, we have been influenced spiritually by faithful people who have taught us of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. They have shared their faith with us and, in turn, have helped our faith to grow and flourish. It is because of their faithfulness that we have found guidance and help to continue on. Whoever the faithful people are in your life, give God glory for the difference they have made in your Christian walk. And let us pray to God that God may continue to place in my life people who are faithful brothers and sisters who will point us in to the right direction and help us to do the same for them.

Activity for Today: Wheat & Tares

Source : qwchristiandevotions

A Servants Heart

Passage : Philippians 2

"Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:4)

Paul was a man of such wisdom. He knew that if we sought only our own interests, the results would be devastating, both personally and to the church as a body. It is only when we are willing to become servants, looking out for the interests of others, that we can gain true spiritual joy. Jesus taught his disciples this when he washed their feet. None of them were willing to demean themselves, but Jesus took on the role of servant to teach them the lesson. No job is too low when we are serving our brethren, or our Lord. Jesus said, "If you do this to the least of your brethren, you have done it unto me." If we were to remember these words when we see the opportunities to serve in our churches and in our homes, we would be most joyful to serve. Every dish we wash, every bed we make, every card we send, every tear we wipe, every Sunday School we teach would be done to our Lord Jesus. Knowing that should change our entire outlook on service. Jesus has done so much for us, what can we do for him in return? Look around you and seek to serve others in Jesus' name and experience a joy you have never known!

And in order to do this let us ask God to give us a servant’s heart, which is always willing and loyal to serve his master. Let us ask God to give us the heart of Jesus that we might draw others to You.

Activity For The Day - CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Source : qwchristiandevotions

All For The Glory Of God

Portion : Philippians 1

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." (Philippians 1:9-11)

Paul is expressing here a truth that Jesus tried to get across to his disciples years before. Remember the story of the man blind from birth. The disciples wanted to know why he was born blind, who had sinned, him or his parents? They wanted to analyze the situation, debate it and come up with an answer to this deep theological question. But Jesus had another course in mind, first he healed the blind man and then he proceeded to tell his friends that this man was born blind so that Jesus might be able to show forth the glory of God on that day. We like the disciples tried to analyze our experiences too much, we want to know why things happen to us, but Jesus said to simply bear fruit and give God the glory. Everything that comes into our lives has this same purpose to fulfill in our lives, we bear fruitage which in turn will bring God glory! If we are faithful, we will be fruitful. The people around us will see the results and God will receive the glory. Paul was the ultimate evangelist....he was able to use imprisonment to convert the household of Caesar and many of the Praetorian Guard. They saw in Paul the joy of the Lord in very trying circumstances. Paul used his trials to bring God glory. We can do the same. No matter what the circumstances that you find yourself in today, be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ and let the glory and praise go to your Father in heaven.

Activity For The Day - CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Source: QWchristiandevotions

Imitators Of God

Portion : Epehesians 5

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Ephesians 5:1, 2)

As Father’s day approaches it is appropriate to think about our Heavenly Father and all He has done for us. He is the ultimate provider and nurturer and we, his children, love him dearly, as He loves us. The other day I observed a little boy walking with his dad. He struggled to keep us with his father, but what a sight. This small child swinging his hands the same way as his dad, imitating the gait. As children grow and mature they may no longer imitate their father’s walk, but will begin to take on other characteristics of their dads...mannerisms, personality, character traits. Paul desires for us to imitate our Heavenly Father just as the children around us imitate their earthly fathers. To do this we must study our Father, watching and learning from Him, that we might be like Him. Paul tells us to live a life of love and in this way we can imitate God. For our Father is love, every word, every movement, every action is permeated with love. Let us follow His Christ’s example. He learned that His Father was love and he imitated Him, giving His life as a fragrant offering, so we can sacrifice ourselves in love. We can imitate our Father in heaven by giving of ourselves to those around us, letting His love permeate our lives.

So let us be the imitators of Christ and let nothing on this earth be more important to us than being like Christ and doing the will of Our Father.

Activity For The Day - CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Source: qwchristiandevotions.

To Know Christ

Reading : Philiphians 3
Philipians 3:10-11 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul here put a personal relationship with Jesus Christ at the very center of the Christian’s life. “He disowns his own righteousness as eagerly as other men disown their sins, and he highly esteems the righteousness which Christ has wrought out for us, which becomes ours by faith.” (Spurgeon). He joyfully accepted the loss of all other things for the greatness of this personal relationship. The foundation for his spiritual life was in what Jesus had done for him and not in what he had done, was doing, or would do for Jesus in the future.

“I want to know Christ ” This was the simple plea of Paul’s heart. Paul wanted Jesus, not self. According to Paul to know Jesus is not the same as knowing His historical life; it is not the same as knowing correct doctrines regarding Jesus; it is not the same as knowing His moral example, and it is not the same as knowing His great work on our behalf.

We can say that we know someone because we recognize them; because we can distinguish what is different about them compared to other people.
We can say that we know someone because we are acquainted with what they do; we know the baker because we get our bread from him.
We can say that we know someone because we actually converse with them; we are on speaking terms with that person.
We can say that we know someone because we spend time in their house and with their family.
We can say that we know someone because we have committed our life to them and live with them every day, sharing every circumstance as in a marriage.
Yet beyond all this, there is a way of know Jesus Christ that includes all of these yet goes beyond them.

Knowing Jesus means knowing this power, the new life that is imparted to us now, not when we die. Paul wanted to know the Power Of His Resurrection because he knew that …...

The power of His resurrection is an evidencing power. It is the evidence and seal that everything Jesus did and said was true.
The power of His resurrection is a justifying power. It is the receipt and proof that the sacrifice of the cross was accepted as payment in full.
The power of His resurrection is a life-giving power. It means that those who are connected with Jesus Christ receive the same resurrection life.
The power of His resurrection is a consoling and comforting power. It promises that our friends and loved ones who are dead in Christ live with Him.

The beautiful thing to notice here in this same verse is that Paul not only wants to know Jesus Christ’s resurrection power but he also wants to have a part in the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings. Because he knew that knowing Jesus also means knowing this fellowship of His sufferings. It is all part of following Jesus and being in Christ. We can say that suffering is part of our heritage as the children of God; we get to be part of the family of suffering: If children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (Romans 8:17). Neither suffering nor the idea of death kept Paul from following Christ Jesus. He very well knew that suffering and persecution was a part of living for Christ. He himself said it “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead”. He saw that they were a necessary way to the goal of resurrection life right now and the ultimate resurrection from the dead.

Sometimes it seems like it is so easy for us readers to try and reason and explain about Paul’s letter in the Bible, about his desires, his immense zeal for Christ. But for once if we can step into his place we can understand and see that he didn’t write these words for the sake of it. We can very well say that he was not only a man who talks the talk but he was a surely man who walked the walk. These words he wrote down weren’t just theological theory or ideas or fictional concept. They were his life; because what Paul suffered was much more than we will ever experience. It not only came from his sufferings but from his close personal relationship with Christ.

By SS

Reference Commentary: enduring word

Have Confidence

Portion: Philippians 1
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ: When Paul thought of the beginning of God’s work among the Philippians (from the first day), it was natural that he also thought of the day when that work would be complete. Paul also expressed his confidence in God’s ability to complete that work.

i. It was indeed a good work begun in the Philippians and in all believers. “The work of grace has its root in the divine goodness of the Father, it is planted by the self-denying goodness of the Son, and it is daily watered by the goodness of the Holy Sprit; it springs from good and leads to good, and so is altogether good.” (Spurgeon)

ii. Because this good work was begun, Paul was confident of its completion. God is a worker who completes His works. “Where is there an instance of God’s beginning any work and leaving it incomplete? Show me for once a world abandoned and thrown aside half formed; show me a universe cast off from the Great Potter’s wheel, with the design in outline, the clay half hardened, and the form unshapely from incompleteness.” (Spurgeon)

iii. This work in the believer will not be finally complete until the day of Jesus Christ, which in context has the idea of the second coming of Jesus and our resurrection with Him. “Holy Scripture does not regard a man as perfect when the soul is perfected, it regards his body as being a part of himself; and as the body will not rise again from the grave till the coming of the Lord Jesus, when we shall be revealed in the perfection of our manhood, even as he will be revealed, that day of the second coming is set as the day of the finished work which God hath begun.” (Spurgeon)

So be assured that true the Wonderful savior who has given all of him to start a good work in you and I he will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

References taken from enduring word.

Be Strong in the Lord

Portion : Ephesians 6

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." Ephesians 6:10

Most of us like to be in control, or at least we like to think we are in control of our lives. When adversity falls upon us, we attempt to pick ourselves up and get back into the battle, only to fall again. This is the inevitable result of doing things in our own strength: we are setting ourselves up for failure. Each of us knows the futility of attempting things in our own strength, and yet we do it over and over again. In Ephesians, Paul wants the church to know that they do not have to go into battle alone, in their own strength. He gives them to keys to victory: "Be strong in the Lord and in HIS mighty power!" His strength is supernatural strength and his power is MIGHTY! Why would we wish to enter any battle without him? The apostle Paul goes on to tell us how we can attain this power: by putting on the whole armor of God! It is only by being properly equipped for battle that we can stand. The Lord desires for us to take hold of the promises he has given us in his Word, so we can use his strength to see us through any trial that life might bring. He wants us to come to him with all of our weaknesses and frailties. He wants to be our strength when our strength is gone. We do not need to go forth into battle in our own strength when he is standing by, waiting to exchange our strength for his and give us victory!

Activity For The Day - CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Article is from qwdevotions.