Thursday, October 31, 2013

+DEV+ New Life In Jesus

Date: October 31, 2013 9:34 PM
Topic: +DEV+  New Life In Jesus

New Life In Jesus

"For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations." (Isaiah 61:11)

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 61:10-11

Spring is aptly named because new life seems to "spring" right out of the ground. A spring of water flows from a hole in the earth bringing life to all that lies downstream. So, in the season of spring, seeds shoot stems out of the ground, plants burst with new leaves, and new life flows into the world.

The prophet Isaiah wrote, "... the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow." He is marveling at the sight of life coming out of non-life. We could talk a long time about that phenomenon. We sit on a blue planet bursting with life at the edge of a dark universe. What a miracle!

But the point of today's Scripture is that God, beyond His astounding act of bringing life out of non-life, does even more. He makes righteousness and praise spring up in us. Jesus clothes His followers in righteousness, and we live to the praise of His glory. It's not a humdrum existence of mere religious habit. Rather, we have new life through Him. We are God's garden of spiritual life, and it just springs up!

Insight: Abide in Christ and marvel at the miracle of spiritual life that springs up in you. He is the gardener of your soul.




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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

+DEV+ The Treasure Of Jesus

Date: October 30, 2013 9:10 PM
Topic: +DEV+  The Treasure Of Jesus

The Treasure Of Jesus

"The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold..."(Psalm 19:9-10)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 19:7-10


An old story tells of a man who had a barren orchard. A traveler came by and offered to buy it. "I've heard there's gold around here," said the traveler. The man refused and, when the traveler was gone, began digging for gold. He dug and dug but never found any. Disgusted and tired, the man sat down and cursed the orchard.

Just then the traveler returned. The man gladly sold the orchard to him and left. The following year the man returned to find his former property producing more fruit than ever. The traveler thanked him for finding the gold. "When did I do that?" the man asked.

"When you were digging," said the traveler. "You aerated the soil and broke up the old roots to make room for new ones. Now the orchard produces fruit that I will trade for gold."

When we look outside of God's purpose for us, we miss the "gold" that's in our own backyard. Seeking Him will bring us a return beyond anything we ever dreamed possible. No greater riches could you or I ever find than the treasure of knowing Jesus.

Insight:  "But store up for yourselves treasure in heaven... for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:20-21)




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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

DEV+ Remade Of God

Date: October 29, 2013 10:46 PM
Topic: +DEV+  Remade Of God

Remade Of God

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God..."(Ephesians 2:8)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 1:1-3


The coast redwood tree can grow beyond 350 feet. It takes a tremendous amount of water to keep such a tree alive. The rainfall in its habitat can reach 122 inches per year. Still, it needs even more rain to survive the summer. So the coast redwood has a special trick. It makes its own rain. With its great height and girth, the tree collects moisture from the dense fog that often envelopes it. The moisture drips down to the forest floor, supplying a steady source of water for the tree.

Many people in this world grow to be beautiful and virtuous. But we all fall short of achieving the sinless life we crave. We need the grace that comes down from above like fog on the redwood. We cannot match God's righteousness no matter how hard we try. Yet in His grace He nourishes us by His Holy Spirit, knowing "how we are formed" and remembering "that we are dust" (Psalm 103:14). And we don't just grow a little taller as the redwood does. Through the divine workings of our Savior, He makes us into a whole new "tree."

Insight: Do you expect to earn God's approval through self-improvement and will power? Give it up! Receive His grace and let Him remake you.




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Monday, October 28, 2013

+DEV+ For He Cares For You

Date: October 28, 2013 10:00 PM
Topic: +DEV+  For He Cares For You

For He Cares For You

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7)

Scripture Focus: Luke 12:1-12

I was pulling weeds from a bank of flowers when my neighbor walked by. "If I was doing that, I could die," he said, "because I'm allergic to bees." His comment prompted me to look around and notice a thousand bees working alongside me. But I had nothing to fear. I'm not allergic.

In the Bible we are told both to fear and not to fear God. Luke 12:5 says, "Fear him [God] who... has the power to throw you into hell." But in verse 7 Jesus says, "Don't be afraid [of God]; you are worth [much to Him]." How do we sort this out?

We are all sinners. Because of His perfect justice, God must condemn sin. But for those who are in Christ, there is no need to fear God. You might say we are no longer "allergic" to Him. We can work right alongside of Him and not be harmed.

Yet we still have a healthy fear of dishonoring our holy, awesome God. We are safe because Christ "is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them" (Hebrews 7:25).

Insight: Live in Him, work in Him, rest in Him. Jesus is our antidote to sin's curse and our passport into the glorious presence of God.




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

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Sunday, October 27, 2013

+DEV+ Sinless Son Of God

Date: October 27, 2013 10:12 PM
Topic: +DEV+  Sinless Son Of God

Sinless Son Of God

"Ahab said to Elijah, So you have found me, my enemy!” “I have found you, he answered, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD." (1 Kings 21:20)

Scripture Focus: 1 Kings 21:1-29

King Ahab was used to getting what he wanted and his devious advisers found ways to meet his selfish desires. But one day Ahab met a man of honor, and it simply bewildered him.

Naboth, the honorable man, owned a vineyard that stood where the king wanted to grow a vegetable garden. But Naboth refused to sell because the vineyard was Naboth's family inheritance. That's when those advisers came in. They had Naboth murdered so Ahab could steal his land.

It's hard to believe that this injustice would take place over a garden. Gardens are places of peace, provision and beauty. But sin doesn't care where it rears its ugly head. In this world even wonderful things can become tools of evil.

That's why we must look to Jesus, “The author and perfecter of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2). Looking at the sinless Son of God, we have a standard to judge all things by. He teaches us to be wary of the sin that so easily entangles. Thankfully, we have the assurance that someday He will make all things new.

Insight: Sin can appear in unexpected places and do unspeakable damage. But it can't touch the sinless Son of God. Dwell in him today.




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

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Thursday, October 24, 2013

+DEV+ Remain In The Vine

Date: October 24, 2013 11:44 PM
Topic: +DEV+  Remain In The Vine

Remain In The Vine

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." (John 15:4)

Scripture Focus: John 15:9-11

When you look up a plant in a gardening book, you will see a reference to the geographical zone where that plant grows best. Some plants can grow elsewhere, but that takes extra care. It's often not even worth the bother to grow a plant outside of its zone.

Christians have only one zone where they can grow, and it's not a geographic area. Rather, it is the zone of trust and dependence on Christ. It's what Jesus called abiding in Him. Unlike plants, Christians will not grow outside their zone no matter how hard they try. In quietness and trust, the prophet Isaiah tells us, is our strength (vs. 30:15).

Our salvation depends upon what Christ has done for us and in us. Our fruitfulness, the ability to be like Him and bless others as He did, depends on where we are abiding today. That's why we need a daily check-up about the zone we're in.

Where are you abiding today? Are you trusting in your will-power or determination to make you like Jesus? You can try that. Or you can get in the right zone... and grow!

Insight: A plant that grows outside its zone is still a plant, but a plant that grows in its zone is productive. Get in the right zone!




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

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You will receive a copy of both complete sets of devotionals series: "Forgiveness" Series and the "Grace" Series
Or their choice of our Bible Study Syllabus Booklets

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

+DEV+ Pruning Serves A Purpose

Date: October 23, 2013 9:33 PM
Topic: +DEV+  Pruning Serves A Purpose

Pruning Serves A Purpose

"This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (John 15:8)

Scripture Focus: John 15:1-8

"Stop!" a voice cried behind me. "My plum tree!" I turned to see my customer running toward me. New to owning fruit trees, she didn't know that young trees need to be pruned. This strategic cutting makes for a stronger tree and better fruit. After some explanation, she reluctantly let me continue.

From time to time God cuts back the branches of our lives, for His glory and our good. But often we yell, “Stop!" We have worked hard to grow those branches, and we want to keep them. Ultimately though, we must admit that God, in His wisdom, knows what will make us better people. He has a lesson for us to learn. Through the experience, we'll come to understand "remaining in Him" and what Jesus meant when He called Himself the vine and us the branches.

Pruning hurts. But it serves a purpose: "...every branch that does not bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John 15:2b). And about that plum tree-eventually it bore more fruit than my customer knew what to do with!

Insight: Our Heavenly Father is the master gardener who knows just how and when to remove our unproductive branches. He does all things well.




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

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You will receive a copy of both complete sets of devotionals series: "Forgiveness" Series and the "Grace" Series Or their choice of our Bible Study Syllabus Booklets

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

+DEV+ Transforming A Mess

Date: October 22, 2013 10:17 PM
Topic: +DEV+  Transforming A Mess

Transforming A Mess

"The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord." (Isaiah 51:3)

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 51:1-7

Gardeners are often hired to rescue a property from itself. When landscaping is neglected, the plants and trees grow until they almost overwhelm the house. We call this "clean up" work, and we like it. Not only does it bring in extra money, but we also have the joy of transforming a mess into a thing of beauty.

I wonder if this is like the feeling that God has when we humble ourselves before Him and truly seek to live for Him. Imagine the Master Gardener looking with compassion on the ruins of our lives and doing what He is so good at: rescuing us from ourselves and leading us in His path of righteousness. He's not overwhelmed by how hard the task is. He is transforming us into what He knows we will soon become.

No matter how neglected or overgrown your life is, Jesus will make good on His promise to "make your wasteland like the garden of the Lord." You may be tired and discouraged; life may feel overgrown with troubles. But He is excited about the beauty He will masterfully restore in you.

Insight: God has made good on His promises in the past. Today and forever He promises to make the deserts of your life look like Eden.




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

We are in need of a monochrome laser printer that does duplex.
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If you would like to become a prayer partner and a financial partner with monthly gifts.
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You will receive a copy of both complete sets of devotionals series: "Forgiveness" Series and the "Grace" Series Or their choice of our Bible Study Syllabus Booklets

Monday, October 21, 2013

+DEV+ Jesus Was Buried in a Garden

Date: October 21, 2013 9:25 PM
Topic: +DEV+  Jesus Was Buried in a Garden

Jesus Was Buried in a Garden

"Thinking he was the gardener, she said, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." (John 20:15)

Scripture Focus: John 19:40-42, 20:14-16

Sometimes the little details in the Bible are as amazing as the big ones. Did you know Jesus was buried and rose again in a garden? The Bible says, "At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb ... they laid Jesus there" (John19: 41-42). When Mary Magdalene saw the resurrected Christ, she even thought He was the gardener.

Why is this significant? Think back on the story of humanity in the Bible. It began in a garden. Although sin entered the world there, God also assured Adam and Eve then that He would send a Redeemer to save His people from sin. That Redeemer, Jesus, was crucified, buried and arose from death in a garden. How like God to keep His promises so precisely that the circumstances match with perfect symmetry.

Do you think it's a coincidence that all of this happened in a literal garden? More likely it is evidence that history is in the hands of a great Master of art and science who is writing the ultimate masterpiece with you and me in it!

Insight: Poets often write poetry to put history in perspective. but here is a place where poetry and history meet: in the amazing work of Jesus.




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

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You will receive a copy of both complete sets of devotionals series: "Forgiveness" Series and the "Grace" Series Or their choice of our Bible Study Syllabus Booklets

+DEV+ God The Gardener

Date: October 21, 2013 12:20 AM
Topic: +DEV+  God The Gardener

God The Gardener

"Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the East, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed." (Genesis 2:8)

Scripture Focus: Genesis 2:4-9

Gardening is hard work, and yet it is rewarding. There are profound reasons why this is so. We have a connection with the soil that goes all the way back to creation.

Though God spoke the heavens and the earth into existence, He formed the animals and the first man, Adam, from the "dust of the earth," the soil. Can you picture God's hands shaping the intricate human being into life? God placed him in the Garden of Eden "to work it and take care of it."

God, who planted the first garden, let Adam be its gardener. But Adam was a type of garden, too. God worked in him to produce the fruit of obedience to His will. After God formed Eve out of Adam, they were both His "gardens." He cultivated them with loving care, giving them everything they needed for a perfect life with Him.

Yet Adam and Eve sinned, turning the Garden of Eden and themselves into a weed patch. Still God provided a Rescuer for them and us. Now human beings can once again be God's "gardens." Abiding in Jesus, we will bear much fruit

Insight: God can turn your weed patch life into a fruitful garden. As He works in you, all your work will become meaningful.




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You will receive a copy of both complete sets of devotionals series: "Forgiveness" Series and the "Grace" Series Or their choice of our Bible Study Syllabus Booklets

Thursday, October 17, 2013

+DEV+ A Spiritual Life Takes Time

Date: October 17, 2013 11:17 PM
Topic: +DEV+  A Spiritual Life Takes Time

A Spiritual Life Takes Time

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9)

Scripture Focus: Luke 8:11-15

When you plant a fruit tree, you don't expect to see fruit right away. You have to wait. We know that fruit develops at the proper time. What is obvious with physical fruit is often ignored when it comes to spiritual fruit. Many people read about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 ("love, joy, peace, patience..."), but don't allow for the effort and time that it takes to develop them. They give up because they don't see the fruit of the Spirit immediately.

But God, the Master Gardener of our lives, takes the long view. Just as He designed a tree to grow deep roots and strong branches before bearing fruit, He knows that our spiritual life takes time. Becoming a Christ follower may take an instant, but learning to be like Him will fill the rest of our lives.

Certainly we can exhibit love and other fruit of the Spirit today, but for a consistent, increasing, abundant crop, we must plan to follow Christ, the very one who bears each and every fruit of the Spirit for us even when our own harvest is slim.

Insight: Expecting love, joy, peace, and patience to develop in a hurry is being...impatient! let God cultivate the fruit no matter how long it takes.




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

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You will receive a copy of both complete sets of devotionals series: "Forgiveness" Series and the "Grace" Series Or their choice of our Bible Study Syllabus Booklets

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

+DEV+ Applying Gods Word

Date: October 16, 2013 10:40 PM
Topic: +DEV+  Applying Gods Word

Applying Gods Word

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

Scripture Focus: John 7:16-18

We've all seen bushes trimmed in geometric or animal shapes. They're called "topiary bushes." When gardeners grow a topiary bush, they install a wire shape and let the bush grow into it. Then they keep trimming the branches to make the bush grow in that shape. Trimming topiary bushes is tedious work, but it must be done regularly to keep the original pleasing shape.

Keeping sound doctrine is like that. Continue studying to make sure you believe the right things. Some think that because God's truth never changes, we never have to think about it once we have believed. But our world is always changing, challenging the way we apply God's truth to our lives. Without knowing it, we can end up with inaccurate beliefs.

Our beliefs are built on the solid truth of Jesus. We grow from Him like the topiary bush on its frame. Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind." One way we love Him with our mind is when we consider what we believe and how we apply it.

Insight: How can we love God if we never think about Him and what He's said to us? Read His word today... and think about it.




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

We are in need of a monochrome laser printer that does duplex.
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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

+DEV+ In His Presence We Grow

Date: October 15, 2013 8:42 PM
Topic: +DEV+  In His Presence We Grow

In His Presence We Grow


"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD they will flourish in the courts of our God." (Psalm 92:12-13)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 92


I have a “brown” thumb, every plant life dies and turns brown. My wife is a plant rescuer. People bring troubled plants to her and ask her to bring them back to health. It's amazing to watch an orchid or African violet respond to a little attention. What's her secret? She cares about plants. Sometimes, when the owners return for their plants, they insist that the plant stay with my wife because "it's happier with you."

When we practice a spiritual discipline, it brings us closer to Jesus. It's not that we earn His favor by reading the Bible, praying or fasting, etc. These are simply factors that nourish us in our faith and in our life with Him. These are valuable steps, but He is the one who cares for us and creates the right conditions for us to grow. We naturally, or rather supernaturally, respond to being with Him.

Jesus invites us to abide with Him today, to bask in His grace. Spiritual disciplines help us enter His presence. As in the Psalm above, we grow "like a cedar of Lebanon" when we are with Him. And we never have to go back to our previous owner.

Insight: Spiritual growth requires discipline. But the discipline doesn't change us. It just brings us close to Jesus, and He changes us.




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

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Sunday, October 13, 2013

+DEV+ See What Is Not Seen

Date: October 13, 2013 8:42 PM
Topic: +DEV+  See What Is Not Seen

See What Is Not Seen

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Scripture Focus: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Before his death, Jesus introduced Himself to the world through His deeds and words, the stories of which we can now read in the New Testament. But He also revealed His character through His Spirit, by breathing on His followers-filling up their lungs, beating in their hearts - to accomplish His ministry, just as He wants to do with us today.

Those forty days when Christ walked the earth after His death remind us that we, too, can meet the Man who likewise breathes on us so that He can send us out. We, too, can receive the eternal perspective that motivated the early church so that we can endure any trial with an equal sense of joy and trust.

We are the ones about whom Christ told Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." Though we're not literal eyewitnesses, we are nonetheless witnesses to Christ's new body throughout history. Let us fix our eyes on Him, then, and on the eternal gift of life with Him, as we gather with one another regularly in worship, changed in His presence.

Insight: He lives, indeed, among us, and by His resurrection we are formed.



Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

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You will receive a copy of both complete sets of devotionals series: "Forgiveness" Series and the "Grace" Series Or their choice of our Bible Study Syllabus Booklets

Friday, October 11, 2013

+DEV+ God's Hope Sustains Us

Date: October 11, 2013 1:19 AM
Topic: +DEV+  God's Hope Sustains Us

God's Hope Sustains Us

"In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1 Peter 1:3)

Scripture Focus: 1 Peter 1:1-9


Paul, Peter and the others were sent to enter a world fraught with danger and hopelessness. They knew their lives were going to be threatened and that death was imminent. But they also knew that this life was not "the end." Their hope was in the love of the living God; the promise of eternity with Him made every incident on earth pale in comparison.

In other words, the resurrection of Jesus Christ formed the basis not only of their new faith but also of their perspectives about everything on earth. This is exactly how our lives ought to be shaped! Peter's letter starts with this great reminder that he experienced first hand: no matter what we may do, how we may fail, God's hope sustains us. What an encouragement! It was not a hope that Peter imagined or conjured up whenever he felt discouraged. No, his was a living hope, one that breathed, inspired and spoke to him in the person of Jesus.

That living hope is the lens through which we see the world and the greatest gift we could offer others!

Insight: How does the promise of eternity with Jesus change how you see things today?




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Thursday, October 10, 2013

+DEV+ Focus On The Risen Jesus

Date: October 10, 2013 1:13 AM
Topic: +DEV+  Focus On The Risen Jesus

Focus On The Risen Jesus

"...and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead..." (Ephesians 1:19-20)

Scripture Focus: Ephesians 1:15-23

What enabled Paul to write such encouragement in his letters? How did Peter, Thomas, Mary and the others keep going in the midst of so much persecution and struggle? What made it possible for them to persevere in their faith but with great joy? In crowds, they proclaimed the news of Jesus as if their lives depended on it. In prison, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy of the suffering. In every journey and adventure, every gathering and tragedy, they did not merely complete a task; they lived a life that was overflowing with peace and grace. How could they?

Maybe the better question is how could they not? The God of Creation had personally pursued each of them and gave them the power they'd need for their mission. And that power was like the power that raised Christ from the dead!

When He went to the cross, they reached an all time low. Despair and grief overwhelmed them - until they saw the risen Lord! And when they encountered Him, they knew beyond a doubt that Christ was Lord of All.

Insight: The more we focus on the risen Jesus, the more we, too, can face with courage and grace whatever hardship may come our way.




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

We are in need of a color inkjet printer and a monochrome laser printer that does duplex.
So your donations would be appreciated small or large.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm
 
The First 500 will receive a copy of both complete sets of devotionals series: "Forgiveness" Series and the "Grace" Series

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

+DEV+ Life Of Christ Our Hope

Date: October 9, 2013 12:44 AM
Topic: +DEV+  Life Of Christ Our Hope

Life Of Christ Our Hope

"Therefore, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Scripture Focus: 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

From Christ's living presence, Paul understood that he was commissioned to introduce others to Jesus. Some would believe. Some wouldn't. Some would be intrigued, and others would attack him.

Still, he warned, if just for this life Christ was their hope, they were to be pitied more than all. He was desperate for them to know the truth that had utterly transformed him, that Christ's risen life changed him now and for eternity. No wonder he wrote to the Philippians in 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 of the dead."

With that as our anchor and vision, every day can be one of joy, sharing life rich in Christ with others. When our daily tasks are motivated by our risen Lord, it is always labor that bears fruit for eternity. And even when we grow weary, we know that He who began a good work in us is faithful to complete it (Philippians 1:6).

Insight: We can personally know Christ and the power of His resurrection today.




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

We are in need of a color inkjet printer and a monochrome laser printer that does duplex.
So your donations would be appreciated small or large.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm
 
The First 500 will receive a copy of both complete sets of devotionals series: "Forgiveness" Series and the "Grace" Series

Monday, October 7, 2013

+DEV+ Our Hope Is In Jesus

Date: October 7, 2013 10:58 PM
Topic: +DEV+  Our Hope Is In Jesus

Our Hope Is In Jesus

"If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." (1 Corinthians 15:14)

Scripture Focus: 1 Corinthians 15:1-17

To Paul, the resurrection of Jesus was no mere afterthought to a belief system. It was everything. He referred to it 53 times in his New Testament writings. Why? Because, "if Christ had not been raised, our faith is futile and we are still in our sins" (vs. 17).

It was a reality with more power than all the pagan legends and Jewish laws combined, the very fulfillment of all he'd ever hoped for or knew of from his own history. Yes, it was compelling, but it was no mere story to Paul. It knocked him flat. His life would be instantly different, full of tension, and of course hope.

But because he, too, responded to Christ's love, you and I became the beneficiaries of some of the greatest biblical works in Scripture. His letters remind all who read them of God's power, that the resurrected Christ is the Good News with which we're now entrusted. Paul knew first hand that his hope was not based on a plan or a value system but on the living, breathing Person of Jesus who is with each of us always.

Insight: In the risen Lord Jesus we live and move and have our being!




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

We are in need of a color inkjet printer and a monochrome laser printer that does duplex.
So your donations would be appreciated small or large.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm
 
The First 500 will receive a copy of both complete sets of devotionals series: "Forgiveness" Series and the "Grace" Series

+DEV+ Jesus Our Enduring Hope

Date: October 7, 2013 12:17 AM
Topic: +DEV+  Jesus Our Enduring Hope

Jesus Our Enduring Hope

"Then the church...was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord." (Acts 9:31)

Scripture Focus: Acts 9:28-31

It's an understatement to say that Paul's life was changed from the Damascus Road encounter. His life was absolutely altered forever. So were the lives of those around him, as well as the early believers who -  understandably - were afraid to join Paul in fellowship.

Nonetheless, Paul's confrontation with the resurrected Jesus became the primary motivation behind the church growth. His sermons in various cities (recorded in Acts) and his letters to the churches far and wide formed the basis not just of a new theology, but of an entirely new life. If Jesus was "really real" to anyone, it was Paul.

For him, the resurrection was the foundation on which all other decisions were made and on which any of life's confidence could be built. It became the shield from which he, and all other Christians, could endure anything. It had to be; because Paul himself would endure great opposition, imprisonment and affliction. May the Good News of Jesus' life given for you be worth enduring hardship, however great or small. There is hope in Him!

Insight: God's church throughout the world remains centered on the death and resurrection of Jesus as our enduring hope!




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

We are in need of a color inkjet printer and a monochrome laser printer that does duplex.
So your donations would be appreciated small or large.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal or at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm
 
The First 500 will receive a copy of both complete sets of devotionals series: "Forgiveness" Series and the "Grace" Series

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

+DEV+ All Were Astonished

Date: October 2, 2013 2:51 AM
Topic: +DEV+  All Were Astonished

All Were Astonished

"All those who heard him were astonished and asked, 'Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name?'"  (Acts 9:21)

Scripture Focus: Acts 9:20-27

Blinded by the Living Word and led like a desperate child to Damascus, Saul was an unlikely convert. How had he persecuted Jesus? After all, Christ was no longer walking the earth in human form and Saul hadn't been present at the crucifixion. What was Jesus talking about?

It was the new Body of Christ Saul had abused. Jesus said, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40). Through the faithful testimonies of those early Christians, those willing to proclaim the Gospel truth in spite of persecution from men like Saul, the Lord defended His own body. The truth marked in His hands and feet came alive when He confronted Saul.

God accomplished His purposes and confirmed, again - His character of grace. In Saul's famous experience on the Damascus Road, we see how a once murderous, sinful man was radically transformed, changed in the presence of Jesus. We see how God still takes the evil, stubbornness, and self-conceit of our lives to bring us to Him.

Insight: Saul became Paul. what a gracious God we have who changes our identity, our names, for his purposes!




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

PS. We are in dire need of some Macintosh compatible computer equipment. So your donations would be appreciated.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm
 
The First 500 will receive a copy of both complete sets of devotionals series: "Forgiveness" Series and the "Grace" Series