faith

Devotional for March 20

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Let All the Earth Understand

13 The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Psalm 33:13-19 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

How you play your cards is more important than the cards you have been dealt. How you live is more important than where you live, and what you seek is more important than what you have. All that we have, and all that we are, will serve the desires of the heart. The desires of our heart direct our feet toward God and the things above, or toward self and the things of this world. Obey the Sprit, or you will be enslaved by the flesh. There is no third possibility. (Mathew 6:19-24; Colossians 3:2; Romans 8:5-8; Mathew 5:6; Luke 12:15; Galatians 5:16-17; Romans 6:16; Matthew 7:13-14, 16:24-25; John 17:3, 17:17; Psalm 51:10; Proverbs 3:13-26)

Today’s Bible Reading

Exodus 31; John 10

Proverbs 7; Galatians 6

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant me the fullness of your grace, that I, running to obtain your promises, may become a partaker of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

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Devotional for March 19

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Our Promise for the Sure Mercies of David

89 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah. Psalm 89:1-4 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Faith is spiritual muscle. Even the things of the natural world teach us that everything which is seen comes from what is unseen. The masterpiece cannot be seen on the blank canvas. The priceless work of art cannot be seen within the block of marble. The corn cannot be seen in the kernel of grain, and the fully grown adult cannot be seen in the baby. Only in the eyes of the artist, the sculptor, the farmer, and the Creator is that which is unseen commanded to come forth. Birth pains are sure to come, but don’t abort the vision. The journey of 1000 steps will never be reached if one turns back after taking only 999. (Hebrews 11:1-3; Proverbs 29:18; Hebrews 4:12; John 12:20-26; Hebrews 10:36-39, 4:2; Mark 4:24-32; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)

Today’s Bible Reading

Exodus 30; John 9

Proverbs 6; Galatians 5

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant me the fullness of your grace, that I, running to obtain your promises, may become a partaker of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

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Devotional for March 18

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Remember thy God

63 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. Psalm 63:1-7 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Wisdom teaches that the means are just as important as the ends. Remember to fight the good fight of faith. The world is full of distractions that if not guarded against will cause us to forget. Both sunshine and rain are given and allowed by God to make us stronger, but we must cooperate and engage in the battle. Stop wrestling with God and start resisting all that is contrary to His holiness. Be not like the seed sowed in the rocky soil, which had little roots. Neither be the hare that takes the shortcut to a free lunch, and ends up as the main course in the trapper’s stew. Much better to be like the tortoise that takes the straight path of consistent hard work, and in time has a sure reward. The value of reaching any great height comes from the patience and endurance it takes to reach it. The longer and harder the struggle, the greater and sweeter the victory. Press on. Victory awaits. (Luke 8:4-15; Hebrews 10:36; Proverbs 20:21; James 1:2-6; James 4:7; 1 John 5:4;1 Timothy 6:12; Philippians 3:12-14; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 2 Timothy 4:7-8)

Today’s Bible Reading

Exodus 29; John 8

Proverbs 5; Galatians 4

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant me the fullness of your grace, that I, running to obtain your promises, may become a partaker of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

faith

Devotional for March 17

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

May We Always Remember

78 Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: Psalm 78:1-7 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Just as gains in physical strength must be supported by how life is lived in between workouts, gains in godliness and contentment need to be supported by continuing our worship of God outside of church services. We were created to worship God all day every day, not just one or two days a week. Practice the presence of God. Let your favorite songs of praise be the default melody of your heart. Magnify the Lord in your thoughts and speech. Be doers of the word with the joy of praising and adoring our God. His goodness and mercy will surely follow you every morning and take you through every night. (Matthew 21:42; John 7:38; Matthew 11:28-30; 1 Corinthians 9:7; Philippians 2:13; Nehemiah 8:10; Acts 4:9-13; 1 Corinthians 3:5-17; Philippians 4:4-8; Psalm 92:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Today’s Bible Reading

Exodus 28; John 7

Proverbs 4; Galatians 3

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant me the fullness of your grace, that I, running to obtain your promises, may become a partaker of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

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Devotional for March 16

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Your Word Is a Light Upon My Path

105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
106 I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.
107 I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word.
108 Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me thy judgments.
109 My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts.
111 Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.
112 I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end. Psalm 119:105-112 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Fitness enhances quality of life. Take care how you build your earthbound house of fitness though. Dig down pass the shaky ground of vanity. Don’t put it together with the mortar of self-obsession. You may succeed in building a beautiful house with such, but it will be cold and lonely inside. The bedrock on which to build fitness is good health, not vanity. Work for it and return all the glory to God. We are the temple of the living God, and our true treasure of incomprehensible worth is God dwelling within us. (Luke 17:12-21, 11:27-28; Colossians 1:26-27, 3:2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Matthew 6:31-33; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Luke 14:15; Revelation 4:10-11, 5:1-12, 22:8-21)

Today’s Bible Reading

Exodus 27; John 6

Proverbs 3; Galatians 2

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant me the fullness of your grace, that I, running to obtain your promises, may become a partaker of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

faith

Devotional for March 15

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Blessed Be the Lord, the God of Our Salvation

7 O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:
8 The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.
10 Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.
17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
20 He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death. Psalm 68:7-10, 17-20 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

The power of a laser comes from a single point of focus. The hungry cat that runs into the middle of the heard and gets distracted by every darting beast, is likely to remain hungry. Multitasking is for amateurs. To reach the heights of whatever mountain you want to climb requires the ability to focus. Use some horse sense, put on your blinders, and go to work. Distraction is a favorite tactic of the enemy to get you focused on what you see, and thereby upset the divine order of faith first then feelings. To remain firm, our thoughts must be continually refocused on faith in God rather than on what we see, what we imagine, and how we feel. To allow your thoughts to be tossed about by faithless feelings based on current circumstances, is to build on shifting sand. Stand firm in faith by depending on wisdom, the word of God, and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let feelings be what they may. Make no requirement that feelings always be good and you will be free. (Hebrews 11:1-6; Matthew 7:24-29; Luke 9:61-62; Hebrews 10:38-39; John 8:31-32; James 1: 2-8; 2 Corinthians 11:2-3; Galatians 5:7-8; James 1:12-18; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6; 1 Peter 5:6-11)

Today’s Bible Reading

Exodus 26; John 5

Proverbs 2; Galatians 1

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant me the fullness of your grace, that I, running to obtain your promises, may become a partaker of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

faith

Devotional for March 14

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Teach Us To Number Our Days

1 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
3 Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.
4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalm 90:1-4, 10-12 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Only God knows the end from the beginning, and sometimes it’s hard for us to see even the next step. Simply start with the determination to push through difficulties, and resolve to stick with it to the end. Sooner or later we all come to a point where we must stop wrestling for control of what we can’t control, and simply hold on in faith. This is how Jacob prevailed, and this is how we overcome the world. (1 John 5:4; Mark 11:22; Proverbs 3:5-8; Ecclesiastes 11:6; Proverbs 3:27; Galatians 6:7; Genesis 32:24-31; John 4:6-30, 39-42; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

Today’s Bible Reading

Exodus 25; John 4

Proverbs1; 2 Corinthians 13

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant that I, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear my cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

faith

Devotional for March 13

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Open Your Mouth Wide, and God Will Fill It

8 Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;
9 There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
10 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. Psalm 81:8-10 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

When the fire for fitness gets hot enough, it will burn away the lesser desires for things like eating lots of sugar, drinking too much alcohol, and living a life of leisure. Lasting change happens when the desire for God is fanned into a purifying flame of the heart. Catch fire and let the old unprofitable desires burn away. (Isaiah 55:7; Mark 12:28-30; 2 Timothy 1:6-7; Proverbs 16:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:13; Matthew 11:25-30)

Today’s Bible Reading

Exodus 24; John 3

Job 42; 2 Corinthians 12

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant that I, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear my cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

faith

Devotional for March 12

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Great Are the Works of the Lord

111 The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
3 His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
4 He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
5 He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.
6 He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.
7 The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.
8 They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name. Psalm 111:2-9 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

The path of love and faithfulness always leads to God. The peace this world gives depends on the favorable winds of circumstance. It may last only a season and can be lost in an instant. Very different is the perfect peace our Lord Jesus Christ displayed throughout the four gospels. He was never worried, never bothered, never flustered, and never hurried. “My peace,” said Jesus, “I leave with you.” His perfect peace is such a precious gift in this world filled with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. The peace of God requires simplicity, not favorable circumstances. Just as multi-tasking is an enemy of excellence, so multi-concerning about many things all at once is an enemy of inner peace. Let the hurricanes, earthquakes, and firestorms pass you by. Listen and obey. The ears of the spirit function by faith. Listen for that small quiet voice saying, “be still and know that I am God.” Be still and know that God is with you. (Isaiah 26:3; John 14:27; Psalm 46:10, 57:5, 94:19, 23:1-6; Philippians 4:4-9)

Today’s Bible Reading

Exodus 23; John 2

Job 41; 2 Corinthians 11

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant that I, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear my cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer