faith

Devotional for February 3

February 3, 2024 Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Afterwards the Lord Will Take Me Into Glory

21 Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.
22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.
24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works. Psalm 73:21-28 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Persistence is the pain that brings the gains. Many things may get you where you want to go, but only if you are willing to keep working at them even though the pace seems slow. Many things may work, but thank God there is only one straight gate and narrow way that leads to eternal life. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. This is the most essential knowledge for every human being on the planet. We have everything when we know this. Without this knowledge, even if a soul has the very best of everything this world has to offer, it will amount to less than nothing in the end. God alone is our Rock. Practice the art of contentment by trusting God. Our own thoughts and feelings are prone to error and sometimes unreliable. The emotional faculty of the brain exists to create meaning out of present circumstance. Feelings are just the brain’s best guest based on our limited sensory perceptions and what has been learned from our past experiences. Feelings are sometimes right and sometimes wrong. Therefore, trust God, rely on His word, and take no counsel from contradictory feelings and the thoughts they spawn. Pray and work. Let feelings be what they may.

Today’s Bible Reading

Genesis 35-36; Mark 6

Job 2; Romans 6

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

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Devotional for February 2

February 2, 2024 Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Teach Me Good Judgement

65 Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord, according unto thy word.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
69 The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.
70 Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.
71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
72 The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. Psalm 119:65-72 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Let us first take heed for our own souls, then God can use us to bless others. Pay close attention to your thoughts with constant diligence. Stand firm in your faith by rejecting all thoughts that are not consistent with trust in the name of the Lord. We are not to be overcome by evil, rather we are commanded to overcome evil with good. Therefore, pray, train, eat, sleep, and repeat. Hold to these basic fundaments like a farmer who doesn’t dig up the seeds that have been sown to see if they are growing. Let the word of God grow richly in your heart. Be not afraid, only believe and trust the Lord to bring forth the promised harvest in its due season.

Today’s Bible Reading

Genesis 34; Mark 5

Job 1; Romans 5

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

faith

Devotional for February 1

February 1, 2024 Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Rest in the Shadow of the Almighty

1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Psalm 91:1-7 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

The world will cheer when you slay the giant, but the same people will turn against you when Ziklag is burned to the ground (1 Samuel 30:6). Seek the friend who will never forsake you. Jesus Christ is the friend that sticks closer than a brother, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Almighty. Nothing is too difficult for the Lord. He has made all those born again of the Spirit new creations by His glorious power. Have faith in God. Trust Him with all your heart, and He will give you the peace we all desire. The faith that saves is a living faith. Not just of the lips, but also of the heart. A living faith causes the whole life to be ordered according to it. Give up all unbelief if you would have all that God has for you. The Lord instructs us to first count the costs, because nothing of the old ungodly life is to be kept alive. All must be made new. We don’t do good works to be saved, we do good works because we have been saved. The difference is extremely important to understand. Pray, because 100% of the results depends on God. Now go to work with faith greasing the grooves for the grace of God. Ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened.

Today’s Bible Reading

Genesis 33; Mark 4

Esther 9-10; Romans 4

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

faith

Devotional for January 29

January 29, 2024January 29, 2024 Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Rejoice and Be Glad

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord:
20 This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:19-24 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Doing what we already know to be right is more important than gaining more and more unused knowledge. First seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Everything else that is needful will be added after that. Walk by faith not by sight. Don’t give up though the pace seems slow, and never complain. Complaining doesn’t make what is bad any better, it only makes what little good there is in any situation seem even less so. It is far better to find one thing to be thankful for than it is to heap up great stinky piles of gripes and complaints. The Bible shows us the way to be content under any and all circumstances. We are to praise and thank the Lord for His loving kindness when things are going well. When things aren’t going well, we are to praise and thank the Lord for His faithfulness knowing that He will work all things together for good. Rest in the love of God, because He has promised never to leave nor forsake us. Trust, Pray, Expect, Praise, Receive, Rejoice and be Thankful. All this we know already. Now faith is consistently believing and practicing the gospel.

Today’s Bible Reading

Genesis 30; Mark 1

Esther 6; Romans 1

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

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Devotional for January 28

January 28, 2024 Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

God Gives Power and Strength to His People

32 Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah:
33 To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.
35 O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God. Psalm 68:32-35 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Here is wisdom: give up what you cannot keep to gain what you cannot lose. Giving up our selfishness is the only way to enter into the Kingdom of God. The Master has commanded us to deny self, pick up our cross, and follow Him. The only way to obey this is to stop living for our own self-interest. Our secular educational system from elementary to post-graduate is focused on strengthening self while ignoring God. This mindset that holds mankind to be paramount is actually the enemy of our soul, which the Bible calls the flesh. It is deadly because it cannot agree with the Word of God. When the flesh reins in the heart, its counsel is always to walk by sight. Allowing what you see in the mirror to discourage you is a perfect example of the type of persuasion born of the flesh. If the reflection is pleasing on the other hand, the flesh will puff up the heart with pride with equal ease. Who will free us from this body of death? Take your eyes off the proverbial pool searching for evidence of its stirring. Rather, fix your eyes on Jesus Christ, and cast down every thought and imagination that the flesh offers that exalts itself above the Word of God. Go to work with praise and thanksgiving. Cultivate an eager expectation based on the Word, and not on what you see. Know without doubting that what is seen will surely catch up to our faith at the proper time. This is the walking by faith that the Holy Bible teaches us. The rule in the Kingdom is this: according to your faith will it be done unto you. Be strong and courageous.

Today’s Bible Reading

Genesis 29; Matthew 28

Esther 5; Acts 28

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

faith

Devotional for January 27

January 27, 2024 Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

The Lord is My Strength

144 Blessed be the Lord my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
2 My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.
3 Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
4 Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
5 Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.
7 Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children; Psalm 144:1-7 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Put your hope in God alone. The peace of God which surpasses understanding comes from knowing that God is in control of everything from the greatest to the smallest. From the tiniest hair on your head to the largest galaxy far-far away, God holds everything in His hand. Why does it seem incredible that Almighty God works everything according to His will? God has decreed that no good thing will He withhold from those who love Him. If easy times will do us good, then easy times we shall have. If pain will do us good, then pain we shall have. Who are you little one, who dares to presume you have better knowledge of what is good than the all-knowing God? Humble yourself. Acknowledge your limitations in every situation and give thanks unto God for His goodness. Trust in God is the only remedy for every uncertainty in this life. Our highest good, and the will of God, are one and the same. Trust in our Rock and Redeemer with all your heart. He has purchased us with His own blood. Jesus Christ is the good shepherd and will certainly take good care of you, me, and all the rest of His flock. Let His peace be upon you.

Today’s Bible Reading

Genesis 28; Matthew 27

Esther 4; Acts 27

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

faith

Devotional for January 26

January 26, 2024 Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Praise the Lord, O My Soul

15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;
18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
20 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul. Psalm 103:15-22 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Just as the newborn baby needs to be nourished for physical growth, so to the believer needs to be nourished with the pure spiritual milk of the Word of God to grow. Obey and pray, then pray and work. Do everything with prayer and thanksgiving. Be it physical or spiritual, you’ve got to be nourished and be willing to grow. Remember that faith in God must be tested, and that such properly placed faith will never fail. Everybody wants to be blessed, but few are willing to actually obey the Word of God and pray. Our Lord promised to give us His peace. Pray for it, be still and know that He is God. Allow the peace of God to be the normal default temperature setting of your heart. When this inner peace is disturbed, look for the cause and take appropriate action. Be quick to confess and forsake every sin no matter how small. Be quick to forgive others. Be quick to make amends, and quick to right any wrongs. Do these things, and the peace of God that surpasses understanding will quickly return to you.

Today’s Bible Reading

Genesis 27; Matthew 26

Esther 3; Acts 26

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

faith

Devotional for January 25

January 25, 2024 Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Blessed Are Those Who Do What Is Right

106 Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? who can shew forth all his praise?
3 Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.
4 Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;
5 That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance. Psalm 106:1-5 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Diet and training are but course corrections made in faith. How easy it is to deceive ourselves if we do not observe the left and right limits set by the Word of Truth. What we love severs as our autopilot. Without the love of the Truth, we fall into the ditches of self-love and self-interest on the sides of the straight and narrow path that leads to life. Thank God the way is straight and narrow, so it is easy to follow and difficult to lose the way as long as we keep our eyes fixed straight ahead on Jesus. Let us not forget that happiness is to have the pursuit of God as our chief love. Let Jesus Christ alone be enthroned in our heart as King, Ruler, and Lord. This is God’s will for all His children. Receive the adoption with a childlike faith, and wait with an eager expectation for the promise of the Father. The promise of God’s empowering presence has been given before the foundation of the world, and it will surely be manifested to all who seek Him by denying self, picking up their cross daily, and following Jesus Christ.

Today’s Bible Reading

Genesis 26; Matthew 25

Esther 2; Acts 25

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

faith

Devotional for January 24

January 24, 2024 Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Your Servant, Lord, Loves Your Word

137 You are righteous, Lord,
    and your laws are right.
138 The statutes you have laid down are righteous;
    they are fully trustworthy.
139 My zeal wears me out,
    for my enemies ignore your words.
140 Your promises have been thoroughly tested,
    and your servant loves them.
141 Though I am lowly and despised,
    I do not forget your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is everlasting
    and your law is true.
143 Trouble and distress have come upon me,
    but your commands give me delight.
144 Your statutes are always righteous;
    give me understanding that I may live. Psalm 119:137-144 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Adversity and fatigue are the great tests of our faith. It is easy to have faith in God when all is going well, but do you still believe you have God’s favor when the circumstances of life become cloudy, dark, and tossed about by contrary winds? The storms of this life are meant to drive us deeper into the only safe harbor, which is Jesus Christ. Physical reality is loud and always in our face. The temptations we must overcome are to walk by sight, trust in own limited understanding, and depend on our own strength. To be strong in faith, we must learn to walk in the Spirit, trusting in God, and choose our thoughts and actions based on conformity to the Word of God regardless of any feelings that arise from our current circumstances. The Word of God is Truth. This is our Rock. On Christ Jesus we can always depend, and now is the only acceptable time to do it. Sing songs of praise when you are happy, and pray until every cloud is chased away when you’re not.

Today’s Bible Reading

Genesis 25; Matthew 24

Esther 1; Acts 24

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

faith

Devotional for January 22

January 22, 2024 Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

“I Will Now Arise,” says the Lord

12 Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.
2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
3 The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:
4 Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?
5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
7 Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
8 The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted. Psalm 12 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

It is impossible to live without trust. Only question is who, or what, to trust? Physical beauty and strength may fade, mental beauty and smarts can be lost, and cash flow often goes faster than it comes. Here is the knowledge and trust that saves from all vanity: JESUS CHRIST LIVES! And He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God is perfectly consistent, and our consistent walking in the Spirit leads to godliness. Our attention represents the eyes of our spirit. When our spiritual eyes are fixed on Jesus, our default way of thinking will be conformed to His image. It is unwise to neglect the command to renew the mind with the Word. Like all the commands of God, they are given for our benefit. Truly His yoke is easy and His burden is light. His commands are not burdensome, so make your calling and election sure. Work out what God has worked in through your new birth. God is holy and Heaven is a holy place. Therefore, let us by the grace of God be willing to be made fit for it. Choose the good part like Mary the sister of Martha. Sit at the feet of Jesus. Open your Bible and hear His word (Luke 10:38-42). His every command is also a promise. All that He commands, He has promised to work in us to will and do (Philippians 2:13). All things are possible if we are willing to believe. The Almighty God of heaven and earth has spoken, and it is written in the Holy Book for our understanding.

Today’s Bible Reading

Genesis 23; Matthew 22

Nehemiah 12; Acts 22