+DEV+ Your Heart's Delight and Joy

Date: May 29, 2015 12:10 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Your Heart's Delight and Joy

Your Heart's Delight and Joy

"When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty." Jeremiah 15:16

Scripture Focus: Psalm 119:105-112

One thing sorely missed by a person serving time in the military, is good home cooking. Thinking about foods that used to be so immensely enjoyed on the outside can almost become an obsession. Eventually, I had to ask myself (and perhaps you do, too) if my longings for certain foods were actually stronger than my longing to consume the Word of God. The most sumptuous meal that we can ever imagine pales in comparison to the joy and delight which comes from a feast in God's Word! 

Jeremiah knew that this was true because he realized that this Word came from the One by whose Name he was called: The LORD God of hosts. Isn't it great that Jeremiah writes of "eating" God's Word? However, for the prophet, it wasn't just any old food. The Word of God was the "joy and rejoicing" of his heart. There was no greater banquet spread before him! 

As much as I now appreciate more than ever a good home-cooked meal, my greater love is for the Word which nourishes my soul and delights my heart with the good news of Jesus Christ.

Insight: As children of God, the greatest delight we can have is in the word of God, for we are called by His name.

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ Wives Love Your Husbands

Date: May 28, 2015 2:31 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Wives Love Your Husbands

Wives Love Your Husbands

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." Colossians 3:18

Scripture Focus: 1 Peter 3:1-6

In several New Testament passages both Paul and Peter write about wives submitting to their husbands. Even for the first readers of their letters, this was a big issue. Back in Genesis 3 one of the descriptions of the curse or by-product of sin is a woman's desire to dominate. 

Much argument has arisen over the idea of a woman's submission to her husband. Some of the greatest opponents of biblical submission forget the last phrase of today's Scripture passage. A wife is to submit to her husband in a way that "is fitting to the Lord." What is the fitting way that we submit to the Lord? We respond to His grace with gratitude, with a desire to please Him, and with joy for His care for us. These are ways that a woman might respond to her husband. 

The problems come, of course, when one or both spouses do not treat the other as the Lord treats us. It is hard to see through the bitterness and strife in those times. The only hope for the disintegrating marriage is submitting to Jesus Christ whose grace restores.

Insight: A wife's submission to her husband is a wonderful way for her to show the world how the church responds to the work of Christ.

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ Husbands, Love Your Wives

Date: May 27, 2015 1:50 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Husbands, Love Your Wives

Husbands, Love Your Wives

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word..." Ephesians 5:25-26

Scripture Focus: Ephesians 5:25-29

When we become people who are willing to lay down our own rights and serve another loyally, we are becoming a picture of Christ's love for us. Men can display this love from the Lord in marriages that honor Him, marriages designed to be exclusive and utterly faithful. 

Also, a husband's love is to be sacrificial, even as Christ's love for the church is. Men, this may mean that you pour out your life for your bride, giving yourself for her well-being. If a man loves his own body by feeding it and caring for it, he should care for his wife at least the same way. 

The end result of the love a man has for his wife is holiness and sanctification. Christ died to make His bride holy and for her sanctification; husbands must love their own wives with her holiness and sanctification in mind. Pray daily with and for your wife. Speak to her in kindness and gentleness. Read Scripture with her. Adore your wife as Christ adores the church, and know that the Lord's perfect love for you is behind it all.

Insight: When people look at a christian marriage, they ought to see Christ and his love for the church represented there.

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ Marriage = To Be One

Date: May 26, 2015 2:13 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Marriage = To Be One

Marriage = To Be One

"The man said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called "woman", for she was taken out of man." Genesis 2:23

Scripture Focus: Ephesians 5:22-33

One of the most beautiful details in the history of man is that the only recorded words of Adam prior to the fall-in fact, the oldest recorded words of human history-are of a poem that Adam wrote about his wife. Especially on Valentine's Day, we remember and celebrate the beauty of biblical love and its origins. Even if a spouse is not a part of your life, knowing the source of all Love, Jesus Christ, is cause for celebration. 

Adam's brief poem reflects the oneness of the marriage union. Eve is "bone of his bones" and "flesh of his flesh." In verse 24 we read, that is why "a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Before the first sin entered the world, there was marriage. 

In Ephesians 5:30-33 Paul refers back to Genesis 2:24 when discussing marriage. The first man, Adam, loved his wife. This was a shadow of the greater love which was to come through Jesus Christ and His love for His bride, the church. That perfect love is extended to us!

Insight: You are the "Bride Of Christ," and He loves you dearly and perfectly as no other ever will.

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ Short Look Back, Long Look Forward

Date: May 25, 2015 3:06 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Short Look Back, Long Look Forward

Short Look Back, Long Look Forward

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, 

“Thus far has the Lord helped us." 1 Samuel 7:12

Scripture Focus: Hebrews 6

It's good to look back and recall God's mercy and faithfulness to us in the past. With hindsight we see where God removed an obstacle or built a way over it. 

Joshua instructed one man from each tribe of Israel to bring a stone from the Jordan River to set up as a memorial in the place where they camped on their first night in the land God had promised His people. We, too, ought to remember the victories won thus far along our way. Those experiences are the memorial stones that remind us to press forward knowing everything we need has already been prepared for the next segment of the journey. We are given fresh strength, peace and joy to tackle each new day and week and month. 

Paul's writings encourage us to hold on to hope because our hope is in the Rock of our salvation: Jesus. Never will He fail you; always will His strong arm be sufficient to carry you through. Truly, you can move forward with assurance of an amazing future with Christ.

Insight: Here I raise my ebenezer; here by Thy great help I’ve come; and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.  (Robert Robinson, 1758)

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ Now Faith Is

Date: May 21, 2015 11:21 PM

Topic: +DEV+  Now Faith Is

Now Faith Is

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

Scripture Focus:  Romans 5

Hope may begin as a tiny yearning, but when fanned by encouragement, it can light a mighty blaze. Its life-giving. People may feel ill. Once assured their symptoms will pass and that they will recover, they are often strengthened until they are well. A business may be failing. But when the owner sees signs of increased demand for his product, he perseveres through the down-time. 

The power of hope may be most obvious when it's gone. It's tragic to look into the eyes of one who has lost hope. To anticipate the realization of the thing we're looking forward that gives joy and motivates us. But the person without hope can hardly take another step. 

Even in the direst of situations we need not despair because of one - and only one - hope that lies at the heart of every believer: the hope given to us in Jesus Christ. As our world caves in around us, even a spark of hope in Jesus is enough to cling to. That spark grows into the fire of faith of knowing our answer will come, if not in this world, then in the next.

Insight:  "Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope AND hope does not disappoint us..." (Romans 5:4-5)

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ Are We Redeeming the Time?

Date: May 19, 2015 11:13 PM

Topic: +DEV+  Are We Redeeming the Time?

Are We Redeeming the Time?

"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." Colossians 4:5B

Scripture Focus: Colossians 3:23-4:6

To be good stewards of the moments we're given is a constant challenge. Could any of us honestly say at the end of a day that we had made "the most of every opportunity"? Perhaps you've longed as I have at times to get back the hours that have passed and re-do them differently. Or perhaps you've begun to learn that making the best use of our time does not mean rushing pell-mell into each new project. So how do we redeem the time? 

We do so by realizing the One who has redeemed us has all of our days measured out even before they have come to be. We remind ourselves that "the LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him" (Psalm 34:21-22). Revelation 12:12 tells us Satan knows his time is short; he'll try to hinder the progress of God's people in any way he can. But our Lord is greater than any trial that may come our way. It may even be in the very heart of the trial that you find Him, covering you with His feathers and giving you refuge under His wings (see Psalm 91:4).

Insight: When we know we haven't made the most of our day, we rest in knowing our great redeemer has.

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ Blessings Of Favor

Date: May 18, 2015 11:08 PM

Topic: +DEV+  Blessings Of Favor

Blessings Of Favor

"For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield." Psalm 5:12

Scripture Focus: Ruth 2

Both Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, were widowed and destitute. With no means of support, Ruth gathered anything missed by those harvesting the barley near Bethlehem. She was a foreigner knowing neither the people nor the land of Judah. But God's leading placed her in a field owned by Naomi's relative, Boaz, and there she gleaned. In time she came to know Boaz and even married him. Generations down the line, she became an ancestor of Jesus Christ Himself. Ruth was living in the center of God's will, and she knew His favor. Ruth was not jumping through hoops to win favor with God and man. She did what she needed to do each day in the place and at the time God chose for her. 

What a relief it is for each of us who have received Jesus as Lord to know God does not require us to perform any extreme measures to qualify for His blessing on our lives. He has extended His favor to meet our every need, going so far as to meet our greatest need for salvation through the free gift of life given to us in Jesus.

Insight:  "His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5)

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

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A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ The “I Cans” in Victory

Date: May 18, 2015 1:27 AM

Topic: +DEV+  The “I Cans” in Victory

The “I Cans” in Victory

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

Scripture Focus: 1 Samuel 17:32-50

Goliath, champion of the Philistines, taunted Saul and his army morning and evening for 40 days. "Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects" (1 Samuel 17:8-9), he declared. The response of Saul and each of the Israelites - including David's three oldest brothers - was, "I can't!" How right they were! Young David's response was, "I can!" because in his simple faith he knew that the God who had enabled him to defend his father's sheep from a lion and a bear was well able to give victory over Goliath. 

Taking on the giants in our lives requires more than just "can-do" positive thinking. Our trust is in the One who has chosen us to be His hands to do the deed. Our trust is in a Savior who conquered Satan and death. David fired the stone from his sling knowing God had prepared him for that moment. Each of us stands with the God of all Creation who can and will accomplish all His holy will, sometimes even using us as His instruments to do so.

Insight: I know my Lord is able to carry me through. (Paul E. Paino, 1958)

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ Grand Expectations

Date: May 15, 2015 2:19 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Grand Expectations

Grand Expectations

"Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, and the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." (Psalm 37:5)

Scripture Focus: Genesis 37:2-28

Do you remember dreams you had when you were younger? Visions of being an Olympian or a world traveler or the discoverer of something great may now be replaced by family obligations and a sales job that pays the bills. Young Joseph had a dream - one the Lord placed in him indicating how the future really would be - and in it he saw his brothers bowing to him. When they threw him into a cistern and sold him into slavery, he had to question the reversal of roles. Rather than being served, he became a servant and then a prisoner. In that dream God had shown Joseph the outcome but not the process. Years of hardship would come before Joseph saw it fulfilled. 

Peter teaches that God is not slow in keeping His promise, that time for Him is not the same as it is for us. And today's passage from Psalm 37 reminds us that any of our good efforts - our righteousness - will not bring our great expectations about. It is God alone who makes our efforts shine like the sun, (and shine because of the Son!) in His good timing.

Insight:  "Find rest, o my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him." (Psalm 62:5)

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ No Fear

Date: May 14, 2015 1:48 AM

Topic: +DEV+  No Fear

No Fear

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

Scripture Focus: Joshua 1:1-9

Moses had died and Israel's new leader, Joshua, faced a challenge. It was natural for Joshua to fear the task. The Lord told him to take courage, for the fulfillment of His promise to His people required victory in war against the Canaanites. Israel had a major role to play before the inheritance would be theirs. The words God spoke to Joshua imparted strength and confidence. Israel would succeed if they obeyed God. 

When Jesus knew He would soon be leaving His disciples, He encouraged them also with the promise of Another, like Himself, who would lead and counsel them. The Holy Spirit would give strength to the 12 to be victorious as they lived out Christ's commission. 

Like the Israelites and the disciples, we too are led by One who speaks courage and wisdom. "Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9b). As 2013 unfolds, we may encounter battles, new illnesses, disappointments. But our Savior and Lord goes with us each step of the way.

Insight:  "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7)

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ No Instruction Manuals Come With Children

Date: May 13, 2015 3:43 AM

Topic: +DEV+  No Instruction Manuals Come With Children

No Instruction Manuals Come With Children

"... the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." (Proverbs 3:12)

Scripture Focus: Proverbs 3:1-12

Few adults can say they've never made errors in judgment regarding a child. We're prone to misunderstand and jump to conclusions. How blessed we are that our heavenly Father knows us better than we know ourselves! When we are not what we should be, He never condemns as Satan does. God, in His love, will convict us of wrong-doing and show us how to change, or He will show us the next step to take. The instruction or correction is always exactly what we need to progress in His kingdom year in and year out. 

In Matthew 19 a young man asked Jesus what he should to do to receive eternal life. Jesus knew the man's wealth was the one area he clung to tightly. When Jesus told him to sell his possessions and give to the poor, the young man turned away, sad. I've always wondered what became of him. Eventually, did he go and do as Jesus told him? The Lord's word to us is not always an easy one to take. Often it convicts us precisely in our ignorance and sin. But always, it reaches us with His love.

Insight:  "God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness."  (Hebrews 12:10B)

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ Being Fully Persuaded

Date: May 12, 2015 3:32 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Being Fully Persuaded

Being Fully Persuaded

"...being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised." (Romans 4:21)

Scripture Focus: Romans 4:13-25

When I was a child, My Dad Taught me to swim. He just threw me into the creek saying: “Swim”! I quickly learned the “Dog Paddle”, drank half of the creek. A few years later a friend who had just learned to swim told me, "The water will hold you up." What a revelation that was! Did he mean I would not sink? I pushed with my feet from the bottom of the pool toward the edge and discovered it was true. I was floating! I had no idea how it worked, but once I knew the water could support me, I could swim with confidence. 

Satan doesn't want us to be confident that God is able and willing to meet all our needs, to support us through every circumstance. Whether we can "touch bottom" or are in situations way over our heads, God will never leave us. His goodness and grace keep us afloat from one year to the next. We need to know that in our heads and in our hearts. With that confidence and faith, we are carried along in our walk with Christ, able to take our focus off of our daunting circumstances and onto Jesus.

Insight: What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms.  (Elisha A. Hoffman, 1887) 

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ Life Is In God’s Word

Date: May 8, 2015 12:24 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Life Is In God’s Word

Life Is In God’s Word

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow..." Hebrews 4:12A

Scripture Focus: Mark 4:3-20

A limestone quarry borders our little community. Cedar trees grow on top of the cliffs wherever they can find enough soil to live. In several places you can see where a seed has lodged deep in a crack in the rock and sent out roots seeking nutrients and moisture. The main stem grows up toward the light at the surface of the rock, and eventually a mature tree develops. It's not uncommon for large sections of rock to break away from the face of the cliff, leaving the root system of a cedar exposed. The roots produced by that tiny seed combined with moisture and frost can split the thick, stalwart limestone. 

The circumstances of life for many of us may seem as formidable as that limestone wall. Jesus told us the Word of God is like a seed (Luke 8:11), a small thing by appearance but with powerful authority in it. When God's Word takes root in our hearts, is watered with prayer and nurtured by faith, we face our great difficulties with Jesus, the all-powerful One. The life-giving Word is embodied in Him.

Insight: We may plant the seed of faith, and others may water it. but only God makes it grow!  (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ Eternal The Compass Direction

Date: May 4, 2015 11:32 PM

Topic: +DEV+  Eternal The Compass Direction

Eternal The Compass Direction

"We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." 2 Chronicles 20:12

Scripture Focus: 2 Chronicles 20:1-22

The calendar has turned to a new year; several months of unknowns lie ahead. On every day of our faith journey, we find ourselves going where we've never been before. Sometimes we're tempted to chart our own course, assuming we know the way; or we may presume to suggest solutions to God in our prayer times until we realize only He knows all the issues and variables involved. Jehoshaphat acknowledged Judah's need of divine intervention. He called the nation to pray and fast. God took ownership of this battle for His people, and Jehoshaphat's troops were spectators. 

At times our lives can become like the mystery tours some thrive on. Most would rather know the itinerary in advance. Believers know their ultimate destination, though not all the routes and stops of the exciting journey. The compass needle indicates which direction to travel. If we think we recognize a landmark and ignore God's directions, we may find ourselves traveling in circles instead of progressing on course to a fabulous destiny.

Insight: What a privilege to carry ev'rything to God in prayer!  (Joseph Scriven, 1855)

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm

+DEV+ Our Focus Must Be On Jesus

Date: May 4, 2015 1:37 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Our Focus Must Be On Jesus

Our Focus Must Be On Jesus

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." Hebrews 12:2A

Scripture Focus: Hebrews 12:1-11

Have you ever had plans to complete a certain task on a particular day only to find several other things that needed doing before you even started the one you intended to tackle? Familiar story to you? Many of you know that it can feel nearly impossible to focus only on the most important task. 

The Lord Jesus said to seek the kingdom of God first (Matthew 6:33). He knows every responsibility and obligation each of us has. This Word of God promises that if knowing and doing God's will and glorifying Him is what matters most to us, all our other needs will be met. When we use our time, talents and finances as He directs, somehow we still have the time and money to do the things we could have chosen to do first. 

The One who holds our times in His hands knows the future. Doesn't that make Him the perfect One to guide us through each day of this coming year? The crowd of spectators in heaven is cheering as we shake off everything that is not significant in our quest and determine to focus on Jesus.

Insight: The world is constantly telling us to "follow our dreams." but the bible urges us to follow Jesus!

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 urgent need of Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and or a financial partner with monthly or one time gifts.

A freewill offering to Restoration Ministry may be made via PayPal at our web site:    http://www.rollanet.org/~restore/donations.htm