Devotional for April 16

Rest In These Days of Trouble

9  He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?
10 He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?
11 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;
13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
15 But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it. Psalm 94:9-15 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Sacrifice a little free time to maintain your body or you will eventually be forced to spend all your wealth trying to re-gain some of your heath (Proverbs 6:6-11). Good health is desirable, but not our chief aim (Romans 8:6). The abundant life comes from doing the will of God (John 10:10, 8:29, 13:15; Matthew 7:21-23), and depends more on love and having the indwelling Spirit of Christ than on anything else (John 6:48-51). Physical strength, beautiful form, and worldly wealth without Jesus Christ will never ever be nearly enough (John 14:6; Psalm 22:29). No matter how great our physical attributes and possessions may be, without Christ all is vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:10). With Christ, on the other hand, even a little is more than enough (John 6:8-14). Having eternal life by the mercy of God means the best is yet to come (1 Corinthians 2:9). Lift up you heart and the King of Glory will come in (Revelation 3:20; Psalm 24:7-10).

Question

How do we obtain the fullness of life in Christ?

Answer

Everything in the spiritual life in Christ is by faith (Romans 1:16-17). To wait on the Lord is to keep believing based on the knowledge of God (Malachi 3:1; Habakkuk 2:3; Psalm 27:14; 1 Peter 1:3-11). To wait on seeing or feeling before believing, disconnects our faith from its power source (Hebrews 11:6). Unbelief is the great spiritual non-conductor (Exodus 17:7; Hebrews 3:7-19; Matthew 17:19-20). Allowing even intermittent doubting creates a wave of the sea-like experience of being tossed back and forth by the wind (James 1:5-6). Make the decision (James 1:8; Joshua 24:15), pray for deliverance (Mark 9:23-24), and joyfully reckon it done (Philippians 4:4-7; Mark 11:23-24). Be clear about this, only faith can overcome unbelief (Hebrews 11:33-40; Colossians 1:26-27).

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

Almighty and everlasting God, grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. from the Book of Common Prayer