Devot. Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!

Hi Folks,

 

I hope you had a good weekend and a great start to your week!

 

For our devot. this week, I'm taking a passage of Scripture that shares the value of human, unborn life, and breaking it down.  Our devot. for today comes from Psalm 139:13-18 (specifically from verse 14).

 

(Verse 13): "For thou hast possessed (control,owned) my reins (essence of a person-mind, spirit, heart): thou hast covered (be a protection to, concealed, to be a covering to)me in my mother's womb."

 

~God had control of and over my growing form.  He protected, hid and covered me in my mother's womb (i.e. think of the amniotic fluid has the God given means of protecting a baby while in womb). 

(Verse 14): I will praise thee; for I am fearfully (to show reverence for)and wonderfully made(very fine, remarkable, amazing, in a manner to excite): marvelous (causing great wonder, awesome, magnificent) are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." 

 

~I choose to praise the Lord because I was made with reverence by God Himself.  He made me in a remarkable and amazing way that caused Him to get excited!  God's works are magnificent and awesome and my souls acknowledges it.

 

(Verse 15): My substance (the essential material forming a thing; your makeup) was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret,(not known or seen or not meant to be known or seen by others.) and curiously wrought (Adj.-of metals- beaten out or shaped by hammering) in the lowest parts of the earth." 

 

~The Lord saw every stage of my development with His own eyes.  My being, genetic makeup, and each cell wasn't unknown to God.  Even though my mom may not have known she was expecting me, God saw me and He formed and shaped my being Himself.

(Verse 16): Thine eyes did see my substance,(our being)yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members (body parts)were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."  

 

~God saw my being and that it would be unperfect, not because He could not do a perfect job, but because of the sin nature I would be born with and that is in the world.  And yet, God had written down each inward and outward body part that I was supposed to have long before He had formed them.  

(Verse 17): How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!   

 

~How valuable and dear are the thoughts of the Lord about me!  He thinks about me so much!

(Verse 18): If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee."

 

~If I could count all the times God thinks about me, they are more numerous than the sands on the sea shore. When I am awake, God is with me.

Folks, please contemplate these verses of Scripture this week.  This was you at some point in the past!  You may have been unknown to the world around you, but God knew about you! He choose to make you.   He fashioned you with His own hands into the person you are today.

 

Now, think about these verses in the context of an innocent, unborn baby that doesn't have a say in whether He is created or even born.......

I wish to leave you with a really neat video I found.  It was an answer to my prayers.  I wanted to start this devot. by giving some facts about an unborn baby's development, but was having a hard time compiling it.  Then I found this video, which 'hit the spot' perfectly. 

 

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXaPwHPqJi4

 

As we watch this video and listen to this song, which was created from our above passage of Scripture, think back to our devot. from last week.  

 

First, Remember the value that God places on each life.

 

Then ask ourselves: Do we think as God thinks?  Do we value life as He does?

 

We will pick up on this topic next week (I have a good devot. already picked out:).

Pray this would touch to your heart and fill your mind with God's truth this week.  How we desperately need God's Truth in our hearts and mind every day!

 

Devot. The Value of Life

Hi Folks,

 

I hope you are having a good week!

This week we are going to discuss a topic that is very prominent in our media and the world as a whole right now.

 

Indeed it is a topic that reaches into the hearts of mankind and tests our moral fiber, humanity, sense of right and wrong, common sense and most importantly makes us look into our own souls and ask," What value do I personally place on human life?"

 

What am a referring to? Abortion=the killing of an unborn baby.

 

Now, as always, I am NOT going to get political; I AM going to get BIBLICAL.

What does the Bible say about this topic, does it detail when human life begins, what does God say about human life, unborn and born?  I believe that we need truth delivered with courage and kindness regarding this matter and other issues more now than ever, folks.  

I read one article from icr.org that called abortion "The Modern Civil War."  I found a statistic from the World Health Organization that said there are an estimated 40-50 million abortions every year and approximately 125,000 occur every singe day (worldometers.info)

Now, there are various questions or statements that are brought up within this topic.   "When does human life begin?"  "Are there circumstances that would make abortion necessary if it involves the health of mom or baby?" 

"The woman has a choice," "It's just a fetus, not a baby."

Aside from all the statements or questions that arise within this issue (which I will try to answer a few in the coming weeks as the Lord leads me), I wish to answer one question today:  "Is God prolife or prochoice?  What does He have to say about unborn life?"

I think I have said it before, but our beliefs, views and opinions should be based God's Word, as man's views are human, not divine.  All the answers are within God's Word, folks, from the most simplest of questions to the most complex.  You just have to crack the Book, take the time to read, pray for understanding as you go, compare Scriptures to each other, and read within the context of that passage, as Bible doctrine (teachings) are not built on one verse alone. 

So, as our world wages a war on unborn life, what does God have to say?

I am going to take a few Bible verses from a video I watched and then link it below.  It gave verses from throughout Scripture that state what God thinks about a human life, regardless of age or if that life is inside/outside the womb. (Some of the verses are within the context of being unborn though).

Before we were born, God knew us.

The Lord said to the prophet Jeremiah, Jeremiah 1:5 "“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;

~Before you were born I sanctified  (set apart);  I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”  

God already made plans for Jeremiah long before he was ever conceived!

He formed our inward parts and knit us together (knit=to join closely and firmly, as members or parts), in our mother's womb. 

Psalm 139:13, "For You formed ("make or fashion into a certain shape or form) my inward parts; You covered (be a protection concealed, to enclose) me in my mother’s womb."

~God created each of us to have a certain DNA, build, eye/hair/skin color. 

He made a unique and special you and He protected you while you were in your mother's womb.

His eyes saw our unformed bodies and He knew the number of days we would live.

Psalm 139:16, "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them."

~God knew what we would look like, long before we were conceived.  He has a book where each one of our parts is written down, taken account of.

He knows how many days we will have on this earth, long before we had lived even one of them.

He made us to be His sons and daughters.

Ephesians 1:5, "having predestined (God pre-planned) us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,"

~God desire ahead of our birth was that we would one day become His children by faith in Jesus (Gal. 3:26). 

We are His workmanship (word mean "the work or result of labor and skill"), created in Him to do good works (He made us with a purpose in mind!)

Ephesians 2:10, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

~"Workmanship" also means "poem" in Scripture.   God wrote out a specific His plan/purpose for us long before our birth.  We have been created to serve Jesus and do things that will honor Him.

We are made in His image (means "reflection)."

Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

~God created mankind to resemble Him in the spiritual sense.   God made someone (Adam and all of mankind)to be able to communicate

and have fellowship with Him(Gen. 1:26) and He also made two distinct genders for His specific purpose and plan.

We are of value in His eyes.

Luke 12:6-7, "“Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." 

~If God cares about an innocent bird falling to the ground and perishing, and knows how many hairs we have on our heads, how much

more does God care for any human being that He has ever created!

He has a plan for our lives, for good, not for evil and to give us hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11-13, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."

~God thinks about those He has created.   He thinks thoughts of peace, of a good future and hope in Him.   He encourages us to call out to Him in prayer, and He will hear us.  He can be found when we search for Him with all of our heart!

We were created to praise the Lord and give Him glory.

Psalm 115:11, "You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;  He is their help and their shield. He has written His name on our hand

~An admonition that those who reverence the Lord, should also trust Him as well.  He will be our helper, a shield of defense.

Imagine that He knows us by name to the extent that He has noted us in the palm of His hand!

He has Our Name Written In His Hand.

Isaiah 49:16, "See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me."

~Can you imagine that God has YOUR name written on the palms of His hands!!  

Children are a gift from the Lord, an inheritance and a reward from Him .

Psalm 127:3-5, "Behold, children are a heritage (inheritance) from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. 

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth.  Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;"

~Babies, not matter the circumstances of their birth, or what physical issues they may be born with, are considered a reward,

not a curse, inconvenience or bother.  

 

Taken from :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ6mTUvulpY

Folks, as each of us read these verses, I wish for each of us to ponder, think thorough these verses.  Also we need to ask ourselves,

"Do I value human life the way God does?  If I do not value life the way God does, why not?  And what do I need to do readjust my mindset so I

see things the way God does?"

Questions worth asking ourselves.......

I hope you have a safe weekend and stay warm!  Remember to keep your eyes open for animals out in the winter weather that shouldn't be out for long lengths or time, or do not have proper shelter and that you can make an anonymous call to your local animal care and control.  It's better to be overcautious and concerned that a lack thereof.

Lord bless you and yours this weekend!

Devot. As I Have Loved

Hi Folks,

 

I pray that you are having a blessed week and are showing the Savior's love to someone this week in word or deed.

 

Our devot. is from the passage in John that I have been frequently referring to, "“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another;  as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34). "

 

It's a beautiful reminder of the Lord's selfless love for us and a good reminder of how we should love and be a blessing in an unselfish way as well.

 

Lord bless you and yours this weekend!

 

Devot. https://www.icr.org/article/20929  (Used by permission.   Taken fromhttps://www.icr.org/homepage/)

Devot. What It Really Means to Love

Hi Folks,

 I hope you are having a super week!   Here is our next devot. in our Love One Another series.

Jesus said in John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this (our Christian love for other Christians also others) shall all men know

that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

How did Christ show His love for us? What example did He give us? He died and sacrificially gave up His life, went through a horrible death, in order that we might have life eternal with Him by placing our personal trust in Him.

1 John 3:16 says, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (fellow Christians)." (We see this example overseas as Christians are persecuted, martyred for their faith.)

Jesus said in John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

The devot. below gives a practicality to how we show Christ's sacrificial love to others by our words and deeds.

I have also included a powerful sermon link below.   My mom listened to it, I heard snippets of it, and it describes exactly how our world looks today and how Jesus predicted in Scripture that the following would happen-racial hatred, mug slinging in the political arena, anti-Semitism is on the rise, blatant disregard for morality and respect for one another, the sanctity of life is being trampled on, the home and God's design for marriage have been under attack for awhile, Christians overseas are dying for their faith and religious liberty is being stifled.

Now, I am not saying all this to depress or upset anyone, but it is the path our world is taking right now.  So-what can we do to show Christ's love in the midst of our insane world?   And how we can make a difference and turn the tide? 

 

Do two things as a starter. 

 

Read the below devot. and take the time through the next week to listen to the sermon, as I am sure it will give you wisdom and ammo. in showing Christ's love and figuring out how to make a difference.   I have some future ideas I wish to share with you as well that would give all of us some more resources to make a Christlike difference in our world.   Keep "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

Folks, we have Someone who has gone before us, enduring hardship and opposition to His Truth on this earth and He has been honored by being seated on God's right hand (a symbol of power and authority).   We can make it.   Keep looking to Jesus!

 

Lord bless you and yours this weekend!

 

P.S. As the temps are still so cold, remember to keep your eyes open for any animals in distress-dogs or horses w/o shelter, or cats wandering around that are w/o a collar.  Remember you can make an anonymous call to your local animal control to report any concerns.

Devot. https://www.dayspring.com/articles/what-it-truly-means-to-love-one-another?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NEBNANN2019-01-27WhatItReallyMeansToLoveOneAnotherArticles&utm_term=DaySpring%20Newsletter%20%2B%20Daily%20Devotion%20List

(From Read and Share.    Taken from https://www.dayspring.com/articles/)

Sermon: https://jackgraham.org/tv - Title: All You Need is Love

(Taken from https://jackgraham.org/)