+DEV+ Become Like Little Children

Date: March 31, 2016 at 11:04 PM

Topic: +DEV+  Become Like Little Children

Become Like Little Children

"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3-4

Scripture Focus: Matthew 18:3-10

Jesus' disciples asked, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" No doubt they were thinking of all they had done, and they expected Him to name one of them. Instead, Jesus called a young child to stand in front of Him. He told them the honor went to anyone who was like this child. What do we know about this child? 

We don't know his name or anything about him. Jesus didn't want us to know much about that individual, but we know what all little children are like. They are needy. They are unable to get along in this world without someone to parent them. They are helpless. 

This is exactly how Jesus wants us to come to Him: in all our need and helplessness, fully depending on His grace to carry us in this world. Just as He urged the disciples to change their mindset from wondering who had done the best things for God's kingdom, Jesus urges us to lay aside all our accomplishments and good deeds. Approach Him instead as a little child with nothing to offer and who desperately needs his parent.

Insight: Your Heavenly Father is able to care for you and meet your every need. go to Him!

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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+DEV+ Beat Worry Is By Trusting Jesus

Date: March 30, 2016 at 11:03 PM

Topic: +DEV+  Beat Worry Is By Trusting Jesus

Beat Worry Is By Trusting Jesus

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

Scripture Focus: Matthew 6:25-34

Jesus never preached an idealistic gospel. Ideals are lofty but unreachable goals. That's what some people think this passage of Scripture is - lofty and unreachable. They hear about birds and lilies and think, "Isn't that nice? But I live in the real world." They should remember that Jesus lived in the real world, too. 

When He spoke these words, He was standing in a field using the things around Him as object lessons. He knew that birds struggle to raise their young and that those beautiful lilies eventually wither, are torn up and burned. He was not saying that nature should be viewed idealistically. He was pointing out that of all creation, we are the only ones who worry. And for all the worrying we do, we accomplish nothing. 

Worry happens in the present moment as we struggle through life's burdens, and the only way to beat worry is by trusting Jesus through each of those moments. It's impossible to worry when our heartaches and problems are in the hands of the 

One who created it all and sees us through.

Insight:  "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)

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+DEV+ Evidence That Demands A Verdict

Date: March 29, 2016 at 11:36 PM

Topic: +DEV+  Evidence That Demands A Verdict

Evidence That Demands A Verdict

"The Jews replied. 'It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?' But the temple he had spoken of was his body." John 2:20-21

Scripture Focus: John 2:12-22

It was dedication day for Solomon's Temple. The king called it a place for the Lord to dwell (2 Chronicles 6:2). But later (vs. 18) he questioned himself saying, "Will God really dwell on earth with men?" The idea of the eternal God dwelling in time and space seemed impossible. 

Fast-forward nearly 1,000 years. The temple, having been destroyed, has been raised again. Jesus Christ stands in the temple claiming that His own body is the temple, one which will also be destroyed and raised again. Only later will His disciples realize how literally He meant these words. When He raises Himself from death, they will understand that in His body the eternal God dwells in time and space. He truly has come to dwell among us. 

Many people cannot accept this idea. But to us who believe, it is evidence of the seamless plan of redemption that God has fulfilled in Christ. On this day, when we remember that the temple of His body was destroyed, we also remember it was resurrected. The day was Good Friday, but Sunday came!

Insight: Only God could arrange the seamless plan that started long before we knew we needed it and reaches beyond what we can imagine.

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+DEV+ Hosea's Unfaithful Spouse

Date: March 28, 2016 at 9:38 PM

Topic: +DEV+  Hosea's Unfaithful Spouse

Hosea's Unfaithful Spouse

"Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them." Hosea 14:9

Scripture Focus: Hosea 1:2-11

God gave Hosea a difficult assignment: find a prostitute, marry her and have children with her. God told Hosea his wife would be unfaithful to him and that he must reconcile with her anyway. It must have been a tremendous burden to Hosea. 

No one sets a goal of marrying an unfaithful spouse. Yet this was required of Hosea. When betrayal enters the home, families are disgraced, children are devastated, and relationships are damaged. Hosea's reputation among his fellow prophets must have suffered. What Hosea was commanded to do went against what he knew of God's will and wisdom. 

But God's purpose was to illustrate how He would have mercy on Israel though they had been unfaithful to Him. So Hosea put aside his own desires and delivered the message as an object lesson to Israel and to hundreds of generations who would read it in the Bible. The lesson has been far-reaching because through the generations we have been that unfaithful wife. Our faithful groom, Jesus, gave everything to reconcile us to Him.

Insight: Many in the bible were asked to do things that seemed counter-intuitive. Some followed God's plan; some didn't. Which way will you choose?

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+DEV+ Can These Bones Live

Date: March 27, 2016 at 8:06 PM

Topic: +DEV+  Can These Bones Live

Can These Bones Live

"He asked me, Son of Man, can these bones live? I said, O Sovereign Lord, you alone know." Ezekiel 37:3

Scripture Focus: Ezekiel 37:1-14

God took Ezekiel into a valley filled with dry bones, walked him back and forth among them and told him to prophesy. There was a rattling sound as the bones came together. Tendons and skin appeared. Breath went into them, and they came alive! Standing before Ezekiel was a huge army! 

This passage illustrates the perplexing task of understanding God's ways. Were the bones real? Or as God put it, "Can these bones live?" God told Ezekiel that the bones symbolized the nation of Israel, which He would restore to its previous position. Ezekiel gives the only logical answer: "You alone know." 

In an age when we are increasingly unsure about what is real and where technology blurs those lines for us, we rest assured that we serve a God who alone knows. For Him there is no dividing line between what is spiritual and physical. He is the source of reality itself. What He reveals to us in objects is more real than we can comprehend. Whatever we fear, we can trust Him with the outcome because He alone knows.

Insight: He is the God who says, "as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways"

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+DEV+ Treasure In Jars Of Clay

Date: March 25, 2016 at 1:00 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Treasure In Jars Of Clay

Treasure In Jars Of Clay

"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? declares the Lord. Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." Jeremiah 18:6

Scripture Focus: Jeremiah 18:1-12

Any archeologist who digs in Israel can be sure to find some pottery. It's amazing that something so useful and beautiful can be made out of earth. And that's precisely why God chose to use pottery in an object lesson to the nation. 

God told the prophet Jeremiah to go to the potter's house. Jeremiah watched him recycle the soft, misshapen pots, scooping them off the potter's wheel and reforming them. It was just earthen clay, and the potter had the right to shape it into anything he wanted. That was what God had in mind for Israel. If they continued to be disobedient, He would scoop them out of their place and reshape them as He wished. 

It's easy to judge the Israelites for their calloused attitude toward God. But our age is no different in its arrogance. We - also formed from the earth - should be more inclined to remember the lesson of the potter's house. And we cling to knowing "we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Insight:  "Yet, o Lord, you are our Father. we are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." (Isaiah 64:8)

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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+DEV+ The Declaration Of The Heavens

Date: March 24, 2016 at 12:22 AM

Topic: +DEV+  The Declaration Of The Heavens

The Declaration Of The Heavens

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20

Scripture Focus: Job 12:7-11

As a teacher I use object lessons to teach big concepts with small things. And some of the objects I use are pretty big themselves. However, no teacher has ever taught a lesson using a larger object than God used. He used EVERYTHING! 

Romans 1:20 says God's eternal power and divine nature can be understood by observing what He has made. He made everything. We're talking galaxies, here. We're talking systems of galaxies. As big as things get, He made them. Not only did He make things, but He also made the space in between the things. And He made the time it takes to get from one thing to another. Our finite minds can hardly conceive of it all! 

As great as that seems, remember what teachers do: they teach big concepts with small things. Compared to God's eternal power and divine nature, the universe is only a small thing being used in a lesson. And that lesson includes us. God knows us and wants us to know Him. It's why He entered our world as a man and drew near. Could there be a more important lesson to study?

Insight: We serve a God who made all things and works in all things for the good of those who love Him.

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+DEV+ If The Lord Is God...

Date: March 23, 2016 at 4:04 AM

Topic: +DEV+  If The Lord Is God...

If The Lord Is God...

"...How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." 1Kings 18:21

Scripture Focus: 1 Kings 18:16-39

Elijah challenged the people of Israel to choose between the true God and the heathen god, Baal. He announced there would be no rain until he said so. This was a direct affront to Baal who was supposed to be the god in charge of rain. 

After three rainless years, Elijah taught an object lesson to prove the Lord is God. The lesson showed God's amazing control of every detail. Four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal prayed all day for fire from heaven, but nothing happened. Then Elijah prayed two sentences, and the fire fell. The people shouted, "The Lord - He is God!" Rain followed soon afterward. 

The object lesson proved that God is in charge of rain and fire. But it also demonstrated how far in advance God plans His lessons. Elijah's name literally means, "Yahweh is God," or as English translations say, "The Lord - He is God!" So when the people shouted, they were shouting, "Elijah!"  God had seen to it that Elijah was named after the purpose of the object lesson, to proclaim that the Lord indeed is God!

Insight: the Lord - He is God for us today. His lessons may be less dramatic than for elijah, but His control goes just as deep.

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+DEV+ Many Opportunities Missed

Date: March 21, 2016 at 1:12 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Many Opportunities Missed

Many Opportunities Missed

"The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him..." Judges 13:24-25A

Scripture Focus: Judges 13:1-5

In ancient Israel the Nazarite’s had one of the most unusual roles to fill. They were to be examples of obedience to God - sort of a walking-living object lesson. They could not cut their hair, drink alcohol or touch unclean things. Samson was called to be one such Nazarite. But instead he lived a life of many opportunities missed. 

The action-packed story of Samson and his famous hair is compelling. But most of the story - his dalliance with Delilah, his parties with the Philistines, his contact with unclean things, and his focus on revenge - told of the betrayal of his Nazarite vow. When he broke it, Samson became the reverse of a Nazarite: an object lesson of disobedience to God. He disgraced himself, ruined his family and discouraged the whole nation. 

Obedience to God is not just a nice idea we should get around to someday. It is an integral part of how God's plan works for our good and His glory. And how grateful we are every day that Jesus Christ already paid the price for each way we would fall short!

Insight: Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. (John Sammis, 1887)

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+DEV+ Memorize God Word

Date: March 18, 2016 at 1:45 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Memorize God Word

Memorize God Word

"Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord...promised you." Deuteronomy 6:3

Scripture Focus: Deuteronomy 6:1-9

In this passage God promised long life and prosperity to the Israelites if they would obey Him. He even gave them instructions for a way to help them remember the promise. He told them to write down His commands and wear them on their foreheads and hands. It would be a daily object lesson to help them remember. 

Sadly, there is no record that any Israelite in the Old Testament actually wore them. Worse, the record clearly shows that they failed to obey His other commands, too. There were times when it was more normal to disobey than to obey God's laws. It's not that the "phylacteries," as they were later called, would magically keep them from sinning. They were merely the first step in the process of obedience: making the people aware of the God to whom they belonged. 

God's promises to us are somewhat different today, but they still hinge on obedience. The promise of eternal life was won by Christ's obedience, not our own. And the promise of abundant life now is fulfilled as we walk daily with Him.

Insight: As we find practical ways to remind ourselves that we belong to Jesus, we will enjoy His promises and follow His guidance

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+DEV+ In Him The Image of God

Date: March 16, 2016 at 10:24 PM

Topic: +DEV+  In Him The Image of God

In Him The Image of God

"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile 

to himself all things..." Colossians 1:19-20

Scripture Focus: Exodus 20:1-6

The second of the Ten Commandments prohibits the use of any idols or images of any god whatsoever. God's people were not even to make an image of God Himself. The dangers of idolatry are many. But the main reason God banned it is obvious: only God can represent God. Everything else falls short. 

In Colossians 1:15 Paul calls Jesus the "image" of the invisible God. How can this be right if images of God are forbidden? It could only be right if Jesus was both God and man. And that is precisely what Paul goes on to say; that the God who created all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, revealed Himself to us in Jesus Christ. It's as if the second commandment created a vacuum that would one day be filled when God represented Himself on earth. 

Strictly speaking, Jesus was not an object lesson about God. An object has to be something other than what you are teaching about. Yet Jesus did come to teach us about God and to mysteriously be at the same time the God He was teaching about.

Insight: God revealed himself in Jesus Christ as the one true God, able to enter His own creation in order to redeem it.

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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+DEV+ What is it?

Date: March 14, 2016 at 11:28 PM

Topic: +DEV+  What is it?

What is it?

"When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, What is it? For they did not know what it was." Exodus 16:15

Scripture Focus: Exodus 16

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 400 years. God freed them through a series of miracles, proving that He was their Protector and Savior. But freedom brought uncertainty. They accused Moses: "You have brought us out into this desert to starve this whole assembly." After just two months they were ready to go back to slavery. When God provided a bread-like substance to feed them, their surprised reply was, "Manna?" which means, "What is it?" 

The manna came once a day, and people gathered what they needed. If they tried to gather more, it spoiled. God's message was clear: Use what I give you today and trust me for tomorrow. 

The Israelites had an obvious job (crossing the desert) and an obvious provision (manna lying on the ground). This was made plain to them. Sometimes our mission and His provision may not be so clear. Like the Israelites we may ask, "What is it?" But if we follow Jesus Christ, He will provide all the guidance and resources we'll need, enough for today and into tomorrow.

Insight: Every day God leads us the same way: He gives us a job to do and enough faith to do it.

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+DEV+ The Egyptian Plagues

Date: March 14, 2016 at 4:27 AM

Topic: +DEV+  The Egyptian Plagues

The Egyptian Plagues

"I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you...it will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God." Exodus 8:9A, 10B

Scripture Focus: Exodus 7:14-24

God sent ten plagues to persuade Pharaoh to release the Hebrew people from slavery. The plagues, beginning with the river turning to blood and ending with the death of every firstborn son, were an invitation to the Egyptians to find hope in the one true God. God taught them of His sovereignty by exposing the powerlessness of the Egyptian gods. For example, Hapi (the god of the Nile River) was incapable of keeping himself from turning to blood. Each plague defeated one of the animistic gods of Egypt. Even Pharaoh, who was worshiped as a god, lost his firstborn son in the end. God gave the Egyptians a bold demonstration of His power and showed them the wisdom of worshiping Him. 

In later times God offered an invitation to us to believe in Him through Jesus, who shed His blood in payment for sin and whom God raised from the dead. No other God has done this. We have before us the opportunity to follow the One who created all things, holds all things in balance, and demonstrates His Love to us like no other.

Insight: God demonstrates his control over all things. He is the one who softens hard hearts.

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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+DEV+ This Is Impossible

Date: March 10, 2016 at 11:21 PM

Topic: +DEV+  This Is Impossible

This Is Impossible

"...Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, I will go over and see this strange sight - why the bush does not burn up." Exodus 3:2-3

Scripture Focus: Exodus 3:1-14

Right in front of Moses there stood a burning bush. Or should we say it was a non-burning bush? If Moses thought, "This is impossible”, he was right! It was logically impossible. A bush cannot be on fire yet not burning at the same time. But there it was - the perfect object to illustrate the lesson that followed. 

Essentially, Moses asked God, "What is your name?" God's amazing answer was, "I AM WHO I AM." To Moses' mind this was logically impossible, too. Egyptian gods were named after a part of nature or after some attribute they possessed. But this God said He existed with no reference or dependence on anything else. Even today we have difficulty imagining One who exists entirely in and of Himself. 

Yet this God who simply is who He is draws near and teaches us about Himself. Not only did He enter our frame of reference through objects like a burning bush, but He entered our world as a man: Jesus. We see that with God nothing is impossible. 

For Him, even the impossible is a possibility.

Insight: God has revealed himself to us through his son who walked among us so that we might better understand what we cannot grasp.

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+DEV+ God Himself Will Provide

Date: March 10, 2016 at 12:06 AM

Topic: +DEV+  God Himself Will Provide

God Himself Will Provide

"Abraham answered, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son. And the two of them went on together." Genesis 22:8

Scripture Focus: Genesis 22:1-18; Exodus 34:19-20

God tested Abraham to see if his heart was true to God. He told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his beloved son. Abraham prepared to obey, but at the last moment God sent a substitute, a male sheep, to be the sacrifice. The redemption of Abraham's Isaac became an object lesson that involved every "Isaac" in Israel. 

Moses introduced the lesson in Exodus 34:19-20 with God's decree that every firstborn son, animal or human, belonged to Him. The animals could be sacrificed or redeemed. But the firstborn human sons, the "Isaacs" of Israel, must not be sacrificed but redeemed by the substitute of a sheep. 

Every time Israel redeemed their beloved sons, God taught them this lesson. He taught it for centuries until He completed it in Jesus Christ. The act of offering one's own son was reserved for God alone. Humanity had been told to redeem their beloved sons, but God sacrificed His beloved Son to redeem humanity. All who believe became "Isaacs," redeemed from the curse of sin by a substitute: God's own Son.

Insight: He has taken care to teach us the completeness of His love; let's respond to His plan for us with complete obedience.

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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+DEV+ Learn From Lot's Wife

Date: March 9, 2016 at 3:26 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Learn From Lot's Wife

Learn From Lot's Wife

"Thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities - and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”  Genesis 19:25-26

Scripture Focus: Genesis 19

Lot and his family were spared from destruction, but they learned very little from the experience. Lot was uncooperative and cowardly. His daughters continued the lewd behaviors that Sodom and Gomorrah had been judged for. Most memorable was Lot's wife who, though warned, looked back on the cities God judged and was turned into a pillar of salt. She became an object lesson to everyone. 

Salt was everywhere in the plain of the Dead Sea. Gathered, sold and used for preserving and seasoning, salt eventually returned to the earth and was used again. Whether Lot's wife was buried or just left there, her legacy became nothing but chemical processes. 

The lesson for us is that unless we are obedient to God's plan, a similar pitiful end awaits us. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, "The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." Our bodies will dissolve someday. While we have breath and life, we are the salt of the earth, here to give glory to the One who gives us eternal life.

Insight: The next time someone says, "Pass the salt, please", Consider the lesson you can learn and who may be teaching it to you.

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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+DEV+ Lessons We Can Understand

Date: March 8, 2016 at 12:25 AM
Topic: +DEV+  Lessons We Can Understand

Lessons We Can Understand

"When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces." Genesis 15:17

Scripture Focus: Genesis 15:1-19

Abram had trouble believing that God would keep His promise. He still lived in a tent, though God had assured him land of his own. "How can I know that I will gain possession of it?" Abram asked (Genesis 15:8).

So God spoke to him through something he could understand. According to the custom of the day for two persons making an oath to each other, Abram would cut the carcasses of animals in half and put them on the ground with a path between the halves. Normally, both parties would walk there to demonstrate their commitment. But God caused Abram to fall into a deep sleep and showed him a vision of a smoking fire pot and a blazing torch moving down the path instead. God was making a solemn commitment to fulfill His promise. Abram knew he had an unbreakable contract, one that God would fulfill even if Abram failed.

Do you sometimes doubt that God will keep all of His promises? He sealed every one of them through the precious blood of His Son on the cross, an "object lesson" reaching right into our hearts.

Insight: An animal's blood was shed in the covenant between Abram and God, pointing to the blood of the lamb of God shed for you and me.

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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+ Snakes Show Satan’s Defeat

Date: March 7, 2016 at 12:27 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Snakes Show Satan’s Defeat

Snakes Show Satan’s Defeat

"Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life." Genesis 3:14

Scripture Focus: Genesis 3:1-15

Snakes frequently get the award for creepiest animal. But actually they are often docile creatures. Before the curse they were considered truly beautiful. 

God's curse on the serpent seems random until you see it for what it is: a permanent object lesson. God had just dealt with man's fall from innocence. God knew that because of Adam's sin, a great cost would be paid to restore mankind and rescue His people from the punishment of death. 

The cursed serpent is a reminder that temptation can come even from beautiful things. But in verse 15 we already - in the very beginning of the Bible! - are given hope. God makes His first promise to send a Savior to buy back anyone who fell for the serpent's lies: "He [Jesus] will crush your [Satan's] head and you [Satan] will strike his [Jesus'] heel." This mysterious pronouncement means that although Satan would someday play a role in the death of Christ, the final outcome would be Jesus' resurrection, the destruction of Satan, and the redemption of all who believe in Jesus. 

Insight: NEXT time you see a snake slithering along, think of it as GOD'S sign that he has defeated SATAN and provided new life for you.

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+ speak blessings

Date: March 5, 2016 at 1:37 AM

Topic: +DEV+  speak blessings

Speak Blessings

"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:2

Scripture Focus: Colossians 4:2-6

When Paul uses "grace and peace" in his letters, he's not just saying "hey, peace out!" He's speaking a blessing over the readers, saying may the grace of God and His amazing peace come to you. 

It's not often that any of us speak blessings over others. Listening in on dialogue amongst people today will give you an earful of sarcasm more than of blessing. For a long time, sarcasm was a main ingredient of my own language until I finally came to the realization that my hurtful jokes were just that: hurtful. 

Contemporary songwriter Chris Rice reflects on the words we use. "Every day is a journal page / Every man holds a quill and ink / And there's plenty of room for writing in / All we do and believe and think. / So will you compose a curse / Or will today bring the blessings? / Fill the page with rhyming verse/ Or some random sketching?" 

Our time on this planet is short, and we have a finite amount of words to speak. Let's use our words to build others up and to point them to a God who is the author of blessings.

Insight: every day is a gift you've been given / make the most of the time every minute you're living. ("life means so much," Chris rice, 2002)

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+ If God Is For Us

Date: March 4, 2016 at 12:14 AM

Topic: +DEV+  If God Is For Us

If God Is For Us

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

Scripture Focus: 2 Kings 6:8-23

One of my favorite Bible stories involves a king at war against God's people, the Israelites. He plots against them, but the prophet Elisha keeps leaking the plans. Finally, the irritated king sends an entire army to take out Elisha. Elisha's servant wakes up to make coffee that day and nearly chokes on his pastry when he sees all the enemy soldiers. God opens his eyes, showing him and Elisha an astounding angel army that will fight for them. 

That story peals the curtain back and gives us a glimpse into a greater reality. Generally, we see the world through deadlines and assignments and traffic and advertisements and disappointments. We hardly think about the fact that there actually is a dimension to our universe beyond our finite world. If we really grasped the magnitude of the Creator God behind it all, we would be utterly ecstatic that He is for us! All of the mess of life in this sin-tainted world would not wield its dominion over us. Truly, if God is for us, who could possibly be against us?

Insight: Walk with greater boldness, deeper joy, and more profound peace because you know and believe that God is for you.

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+ Put On Love Not Spurs

Date: March 3, 2016 at 1:19 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Put On Love Not Spurs

Put On Love Not Spurs

"And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:14

Scripture Focus: Colossians 3:12-17

I grew up watching old Westen movies. There's a lot of good to be found in those old shows: standing up for what's right, fighting injustice, championing integrity and honor. But being raised on westerns can also have its pitfalls. We can start to see ourselves as lone rangers. 

That isn't how God created us. We were meant to be in community with others... to be part of a family somehow. Rather than standing against the world alone, we need to live as God intended us to: loving others and seeing them as human beings created in His image. Every person with whom we come into contact is another being in need of love and grace. Jesus didn't view even the people who killed Him as His enemies. Satan, sin and death were the enemy. 

Because Jesus Christ fought the enemy for us and won, we can hang up the spurs and put them in the past where they belong. Instead, we clothe ourselves with "compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." (vs. 13). And we let love bind us all together 

in Christ.

Insight: We might be a part of a spiritual battle, but we have a laser-beam weapon called LOVE that we ought to fire off freely.

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+ The “I Wish” Epidemic

Date: March 2, 2016 at 12:10 PM

Topic: +DEV+  The “I Wish” Epidemic

The “I Wish” Epidemic

"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Philippians 4:12B

Scripture Focus: Philippians 4:10-13

If you stop and take note, you'll hear what I call the "I-wish" epidemic. "I wish you would have been there!" "I wish I could get off work!" "I wish I had the money for a car like that." "I wish..." Just fill in the blank. 

The "I-wishes" can find their way into nearly any topic of discussion. A few years ago I decided to try ridding my own conversation of the I-wish phrase because I realized that by using it so often I was beginning to express my discontent. 

Paul spoke to his friends in Philippi and to us about learning to be content. Have you wondered what the "secret" is that he mentions? The secret of being content is not found in any minor adjustment you or I might make to our speech and conversation. It is found in being grateful for all that our Savior has done for us, so grateful that whether we have plenty or very little, we will rest contentedly in Him. 

"Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17).

(“If Wishes were horses beggars would ride.” William Camden 1670)

Insight: A longing for things you do not have breeds discontent. Remember that in Jesus Christ you already have more than anyone could ever wish!

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