+DEV+ Study The Scriptures

Date: April 29, 2014 10:54 PM

Topic: +DEV+  Study The Scriptures

Study The Scriptures

"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." (John 5:39-40)

Scripture Focus: John 5:36-47; Luke 24:13-53

Many religious leaders in Jesus' day spent their entire lives in intense study of the Scriptures. They were proud of their knowledge, but it was misapplied because they failed to see that the Scriptures pointed in fact to Jesus. In their intellectual pride they refused to come to Him for eternal life. 

Some scholars today are no different. But it's not just academics who can be snared in their studies. You and I may fall into the very same error. If all I learn from my Bible study are facts, figures and rules then, Jesus says, I have missed the point. Does that strike a chord with you? All of the Bible is about Him. 

After He rose again, Jesus walked with two disciples along a road. "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" (Luke 24:27). Whatever we may learn about the Bible, the knowledge we gain is misapplied if it takes our attention away from seeing Jesus on every page and growing in our love for Him.

Insight: Dear Lord, thank you for the Bible, a gift from you. send your Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to us on every page. Amen.

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 Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ Our New Address in Life

Date: April 29, 2014 12:47 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Our New Address in Life

Our New Address in Life

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24)

Scripture Focus: John 5:22-35; Psalm 113

If asked, the average man or woman on the street probably would never consider themselves bad or guilty, much less "condemned," but that is what the Bible declares anyone to be who does not believe in Jesus as Savior. Such wrong thinking reveals a misunderstanding about God and about themselves. Jesus here begins with the words, "I tell you the truth." He reminds us of our spiritual address. Jesus makes it clear where my home is. 

Apart from God, we are all condemned - destined for God's judgment because of our sin. Yet He tells us more truth: There is hope. His words bring life; moreover, it is eternal life. When we believe the Gospel, we cross over - move - to a new place. A spiritual change of address happens. God moves us from condemnation and death, to pardon and life. Like moving out of a home we no longer own, our move is immediate and permanent. Nothing and no one can move us back. 

Insight: The christian life is a pilgrimage. we are on the way to our final home-forever with the Lord. the best is yet to come!

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 Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ The God Of Life

Date: April 27, 2014 11:59 PM

Topic: +DEV+  The God Of Life

The God Of Life

"For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it." (John 5:21)

Scripture Focus: John 5:1-21; Acts 17:16-32

Have you ever had leftover checks from a bank account you closed? It's a good idea to shred them. When I've had to shred old checks, I would take one check and write it out to my wife for a million dollars. We would laugh at the idea (as if we had that kind of money!) and our momentary "wealth," and into the shredder it would go. 

Today we read that the Father and the Son give life to whomever they will. God has life to give because He is life. It is not like a bank account from which He writes checks and is left with a little less life to give after each transaction. He is life, and He has it in infinite perfection. By His authority, He gives it to whomever He wills. The Father and the Son share this life-giving power, and so does the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit (John 6:63; 2 Corinthians 3:6). 

We serve the Life-Giving God. He is pleased to impart life to us, real life; eternal life. He does this through Jesus Christ, a gift worth more than any check amount you could write.

Insight: No matter how much money we have in life, we are richer by far in Christ 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 need of Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ Honor God In Whatever We Do

Date: April 25, 2014 1:39 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Honor God In Whatever We Do

Honor God In Whatever We Do

"Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together." (John 4:36)

Scripture Focus: John 4:27-54

Not all of us are called to be pastors or missionaries. Some are called to drive trucks, be accountants, manage the affairs of the family at home, serve in the military, work in factories. As long as our work does not violate Scriptural principles, we honor God in whatever we do. Yet, we all have an even higher calling than what occupies us on a daily basis. 

The disciples returned from their errand to get food and were surprised to see Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman. They were more amazed when He told them He already had food. His "food," He said, was to do the will of the Father. Pressing the point, He uses the farming metaphor of sowing and reaping to show that life has far more urgency and purpose than the disciples realize. 

The Gospel call to every believer is to be like the sower and the reaper in Jesus' metaphor. He calls us to work for the kingdom of God with the urgency of eternity in mind, taking His light and life to those we interact with, “harvesting the crop for eternal life."  

Insight: Thank God for the physical and Spiritual work he gives us to do. What a privilege to share Jesus with people we meet!

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 Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ The Living Water

Date: April 24, 2014 12:07 AM

Topic: +DEV+  The Living Water

The Living Water

"...but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14)

Scripture Focus: John 4:1-26; Psalm 1

Thirst is a powerful metaphor. Bright students are said to have a "thirst for knowledge." Dictators are remembered as "cruel and bloodthirsty." Those who ascend Mt. Everest, skydive, or have other daring hobbies have a "thirst for adventure." Thirst brings to mind a passionate desire to have a longing fulfilled. 

Everyone has thirsted at some point, even in the very real sense of the word. Jesus Himself said from the cross among His last words, "I am thirsty" (John 19:28). 

But ever since sin entered the world, separating us from God, nothing will quench our spiritual thirst except the Living Water, Jesus. The woman at the well is a picture of us all. Jesus went out of His way, literally, to bring Good News to her: Our souls can find true and lasting refreshment in Him. We become springs of His life-giving water to share with the thirsty souls around us. After she believed, that's exactly what the Samaritan woman did (John 4:39-42). May your passionate desire for a meaningful life be fulfilled 

in Jesus!

Insight:  "The poor and needy search for water...; Their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them..." (Isaiah 41:17)  

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 Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ Whoever Believes

Date: April 23, 2014 12:30 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Whoever Believes

Whoever Believes

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (John 3:36)

Scripture Focus: John 3

Do you have a biblical name? Maybe your name is John, David, Rachel, Mary, or some other name many of us know from Scripture. My name, Michael, is old enough to be in the Bible. Today's passage shows us that all of us are mentioned in the Bible, whether we can see our names there or not. 

In John 3 both Jesus and John the Baptist preach the same message: The believing whoever gains all the blessings of eternal life. The unbelieving whoever will "perish" (vs. 16), "stands condemned already" (vs. 18), and finds that "God's wrath remains" on him (vs. 36). 

The Father gave His Son, who made our salvation possible. In Jesus, true and everlasting life is available. You and I are in the relative pronoun, "Whoever." Either we reject the offer of forgiveness and life, or we believe and immediately begin to enjoy peace with God and eternal life. We can rejoice as God's chosen ones for whom He says, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine" (Isaiah 43:1).

Insight: Today, Which "Whoever" Are 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 need of Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ He Was An Eyewitness

Date: April 21, 2014 9:07 PM

Topic: +DEV+  He Was An Eyewitness

He Was An Eyewitness

“In him was life…”(John 1:4)

Scripture Focus: John 1:1-18; 1 John 1:1-3

The opening of the Gospel of John is a prologue. Giving the context for the rest of the book, verses 1-18 are some of the most profound statements in or out of the Bible. Yet John expresses them in the simplest, everyday language. 

John spent three years with Jesus in His earthly ministry and saw Him after His resurrection. He was an eyewitness of Jesus; this is his written testimony about Him (John 21:24). 

One of John’s themes throughout his account is life.  What - or rather, Who is it? How do we get it? Is it just this life or eternal life? This month we will look at what John writes about life because every one of us has wrestled with and wondered what life is about. 

John has already declared that Jesus is the eternal God who created everything (vs. 1-3). We can almost imagine John putting his pen to his lips to find the right words for what he wants to say next about his Lord. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, he quickly dips his pen to capture his thought: In Him was life…  Yes, indeed!

Insight: Jesus is life, and life is available for all of us in Him. have you come to Him for life?

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 Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ Freedom vs. Slavery

Date: April 21, 2014 12:10 AM

Topic: +DEV+  Freedom vs. Slavery

Freedom vs. Slavery

"So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir." (Galatians 4:7)

Scripture Focus: Genesis 21:1-13; Galatians 4:21-31

One of the exciting things about the Bible is how, from the beginning of Genesis, it reveals God's eternal plan for our redemption in Jesus. 

Paul, in Galatians, uses the lives of Hagar and Sarah to illustrate the difference between God's Old Testament agreement with His people and the New Testament covenant ushered in through Christ. The slave Hagar and her son born by human plan represent the covenant of the law, which could only point out our slavery to sin. But Sarah, being a free woman and her son the fulfillment of God's promise, represents the covenant of grace begun through Jesus. 

This new agreement makes us God's children, born into freedom from sin and death, alive by faith, and qualified to share the inheritance of eternal life. 

We can't get to heaven by our own good works. The Bible says all our good deeds are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). But by believing in His work on the cross for our sins, we can become sons and daughters of God, heirs with Jesus of the kingdom of heaven.

Insight:  "The Christian life is that our hearts might be restored and set free....Jesus wants life for us." (John Eldridge)

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 Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ I Have Decided ...

Date: April 18, 2014 12:51 AM

Topic: +DEV+  I Have Decided ...

I Have Decided ...

"Yes, Lord...I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." (John 11:27)

Scripture Focus: John 3:1-16; 19:38-42

Sometimes we come to a point when we can no longer straddle the fence and we must take a stand. Nicodemus, a Jewish religious ruler, came to Jesus in spiritual darkness and under the cover of darkness at a similar point. Jesus explained the need for spiritual rebirth through believing in Him. What Nicodemus did with this revelation is unrecorded. 

Immediately following Jesus' death, His 12 disciples hiding, two men had the boldness and political acumen to claim Jesus' body, the money to prepare it for burial, and a place to lay it to rest. But only a believer would lovingly wrap Jesus' battered and bloody body in clean linens with an extravagance of costly ointments, laying Him in his own burial tomb, right? And only a believer would risk discovery and condemnation over involvement in the burial of this radical rabble rouser who had just been hung, right? But this was a time to stand up and say, "I believe." And that was what Nicodemus and his fellow ruler, Joseph, did. 

What will you do with Jesus?

Insight:  "I have decided to follow Jesus.../No turning back, no turning back."(S. Sundar Singh, 1963)

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 Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ Abel's Offering

Date: April 16, 2014 11:53 PM

Topic: +DEV+  Abel's Offering

Abel's Offering

"People will be lovers of themselves...without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited...having a form of godliness but denying its power." (2 Timothy 3:2-5)

Scripture Focus: Genesis 4:1-16

My two daughters, couldn't be more different. One is studious and serious. She loves to sit quietly playing with a doll or doing her homework. The other is loud, playful, and in constant motion. Sometimes these differences get in the way of sisterly love. 

When God accepted Abel's offering from his flock but rejected Cain's offering from his fields, Cain's and Abel's sibling rivalry escalated. Hebrews 11:4 says that Abel had faith. He loved God. His heartfelt offering was a sincere desire to thank the Lord for His blessings. But Cain lacked faith. His offering was an empty ritual, performed out of duty. Cain's anger with God and Abel grew into hatred, leading him to murder his brother, and distancing him even further from the Lord. 

The story of Cain and Abel speaks soberly to us. The world had just begun, and already the deep need for a better sacrifice was there. Abel's faithful gifts pleased God, but nothing would suffice until Jesus Christ laid down His life for His brothers - for you and me.

Insight: "To obey is better than sacrifice." (1 Samuel 15:22B)

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 Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ Faith In Action

Date: April 15, 2014 9:56 PM

Topic: +DEV+   Faith In Action

 Faith In Action

"...Was not even Rahab... considered righteous for what she did...? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." (James 2:25-26)

Scripture Focus: Joshua 2:1-18; 6:22-25

Word travels fast in our world. Little happens that we can't immediately read about electronically. 

Tales of Israel's miraculous escape from Egypt and devastating victories over Canaan's cities traveled quickly throughout the area around Jericho even without technology's aid! People's hearts "were melting with fear" at stories of God's power. A prostitute in Jericho decided she wouldn't be immobilized by fear. Instead, Rahab put her faith in that amazing God. When Israel's spies arrived, she confirmed her new faith by immediately putting it into action - hiding them, helping them escape, and supplying the search party with misinformation. In return, her life was spared during Jericho's capture. God's blessings continued as Rahab went to live with the Israelites. Eventually she became the mother of Boaz. Matthew 1:5 records her name in the genealogy of Jesus. 

Rahab made faith an action word. Do the deeds of your life reflect a lively faith relationship with God to those you touch on your journey?

Insight:  "Go forth and spread the Gospel, and, if you absolutely must, use words." (St Francis Of Assisi)

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 Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ His Favorite

Date: April 14, 2014 9:19 PM

Topic: +DEV+  His Favorite

His Favorite

"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him...and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders." (Deuteronomy 33:12)

Scripture Focus: Mark 1:14-19; John 13:23-26

Fourth child and the only girl, I'd be understating to say my family treated me as special. I was the apple of my daddy's eye and “ruffles and lace at last” to my mom. 

The disciple John was Jesus' younger cousin, referred to in his Gospel as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." He was, along with his brother, James, and Peter, part of Jesus' inner circle. That doesn't mean John was given special privileges, though he had many responsibilities. Set apart to pray for Jesus in Gethsemane and to be responsible for Jesus' mother, he also evangelized, wrote five books of the NT (the last from prison), and died a martyr. 

We know God is love (1 John 5:7-21). His love for us is almost incomprehensibly steadfast and unconditional, so we know Jesus loved all His disciples. The perfect Father, Brother, and Teacher, God lets all of us know we are His favorite - because we are! Like John, we are not immune to trials. Living with them, however, is much easier when we travel with Someone who calls us "Beloved."

Insight:  "God loves us; not because we are lovable but because He is love, not because He needs to receive but because He delights to give." (C. S. Lewis)

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 Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ The Way to Faith

Date: April 13, 2014 11:42 PM

Topic: +DEV+  The Way to Faith

The Way to Faith

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Scripture Focus: Luke 8:13; John 20:1-18

Raised in Christian dogma from birth, I was eight before I came to terms with Jesus, not just categorically for the whole world, but specifically for me, and that He desired me to worship Him as Lord.

How Mary Magdalene loved Jesus, this miracle man who had released her from the power of the evil one. In gratitude, she became one of many women who traveled with Jesus to support and provide for Him. Then, suddenly, He was gone - crucified, dead, buried! Overwhelmed with grief and confusion, she went to the tomb, only to discover He was missing.

When Jesus appeared to her, Mary didn't recognize Him - not until He said her name. Then she not only recognized Jesus, she knew Him and fell down in worship. At last she understood this was no mere man, or teacher. This was her resurrected Savior and Lord.

Each of us needs to reach that same realization. Who is Jesus to you? A good man? A wise prophet? Or is He the Son of God who died to cleanse your sins and offer you eternal life?

Insight: "He Is Lord!… Every Knee Shall Bow… Every Tongue Confess… That Jesus Christ Is Lord." (Traditional)

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 Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ The Sovereignty Of God

Date: April 10, 2014 11:32 PM

Topic: +DEV+  The Sovereignty Of God

The Sovereignty Of God

"...the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes." (Daniel 4:25b)

Scripture Focus: 1 Samuel 3

When Samuel heard the Lord calling, he answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening." This began his ministry as a prophet (God's messenger), and a judge (God's leader to carry out His reign as King among His people). God had a special assignment for Samuel. He gave him the job of transitioning His people from theocratic rule to a monarchy. 

Samuel's responsibility was to continually remind Israel and their new monarch that all the kings who would rule in Israel would be God's representatives - God would still remain sovereign and still expect absolute obedience. This new form of government would not change God's role as King of the universe. In fact, the new kings in this system of government would leave God's people always longing and looking ahead to the better King whom God would send one day.

No matter where God has given us the responsibility of "ruling," He is ultimately still the One in charge. Everything we do is in submission to our King, Jesus Christ. Who is in charge of your "kingdom?" 

Insight: "Come, Thou Almighty King/...O'er all victorious/ Come and reign over us" (AUTHOR UNKNOWN)

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 Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ God Answers Prayer

Date: April 10, 2014 1:15 AM

Topic: +DEV+  God Answers Prayer

God Answers Prayer

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise." (James 5:13)

Scripture Focus: 1 Samuel 1

Have you ever wanted something so badly you were willing to do almost anything to get it? Hannah felt that desperate. The stigma of barrenness filled her with shame and longing. 

But Hannah also was a woman of faith who knew God answers prayers. When she couldn't take the pain of infertility any longer, she threw herself on God's mercy. She prayed in the temple with such passion that the priest chastised her, thinking she was drunk. She made a vow: if God would give her a son, she would give him back to God's service. In time she had a boy, Samuel, and raised him gratefully, prayerfully, knowing her time with him was short. When Samuel was weaned, she brought him back to live at the temple. Hannah worshipped God saying, "My heart rejoices in the Lord...." She placed her trust, not in motherhood, but in God, who answers prayer and changes lives.

Is there an issue in your life that makes you feel desperate? God still hears and answers prayers. In faith, won't you trust Him, and go on your way rejoicing?

Insight: "Faith goes...past the dysfunction and hopelessness we may be experiencing and sees who and what we can be because of who God is." (Henry Cloud)

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 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

  

You will receive a copy of both complete sets of devotionals series: "Forgiveness" Series and the "Grace" Series

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+DEV+ From Prisoner to Chief Governor

Date: April 9, 2014 1:07 AM

Topic: +DEV+  From Prisoner to Chief Governor

From Prisoner to Chief Governor

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20)

Scripture Focus: Genesis 37:2-36; 45:1-15

Being the favorite of 12 brothers went to Joseph's head. By the time he was a teen, received his special coat, and shared his strange dreams, his jealous brothers hated him. They plotted his murder, then sold him for cash instead. Being a slave and prisoner humbled Joseph before the Lord. Brought from prison, he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams about feast and famine, and proposed a plan to store up food throughout Egypt. 

When famine struck, Joseph's family in Canaan traveled to Egypt and unknowingly came before Joseph, now Pharaoh's chief governor. Through the faithful shaping of Joseph's life, God moved him to forgive, welcome, feed, and offer his brothers refuge. What a perfect picture of how Jesus forgives, welcomes, nourishes, and protects us! 

As with Joseph, God promises never to abandon us. We can confidently place our lives in His hands.

Insight: "Do not be afraid... for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)

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 Prayer and financial partners,

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+DEV+ Die to Live

Date: April 7, 2014 11:46 PM

Topic: +DEV+  Die to Live

Die to Live

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)

Scripture Focus: John 11:4-44

Who can tell what the day-to-day benefits of our journey with God will be? Certainly, it's often a mystery to us as we travel. Lazarus' experience was no different. He may have hoped Jesus would arrive in time to heal him; perhaps he was surprised and saddened when He didn't. How could he know God's plan necessitated his death?

When Jesus did arrive, Mary declared her belief in Jesus' deity and God's power to do whatever Jesus asked. Seeing Mary weeping, Jesus was moved to tears, and action. At the tomb, Jesus prayed to His Father, then called Lazarus from the grave - out he came, wrapped in burial linens, but very much alive and probably stunned.

To Jesus' followers, this became a graphic foreshadowing of what Jesus would go through - dying, being buried, and coming back to life. It also manifested how Jesus could bring hope in death. We share this hope of life in death if we've trusted the power of Jesus' death and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins and the promise of eternity with Him.

Insight: "Lives again our glorious King; Where oh death is now thy sting? Dying once He all did save; Where thy victory oh grave?" (Charles Wesley, 1739)

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 Prayer and financial partners,

If you would like to become a prayer partner and 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

  

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+ Quietness Is Strength

Date: April 5, 2014 11:28 PM
Topic: +DEV+  Quietness Is Strength

Quietness Is Strength

"In quietness and trust is your strength...." (Isaiah 30:15)

Scripture Focus: Luke 11:38-42; Mark 14:3-9

There are as many different ways to draw near to God on our journey with Him as there are people who journey - each individual seeking and serving our Lord from his or her unique perspective.

Unlike her sister, the outspoken server Martha, Mary of Bethany was a quiet woman who experienced life with deep, heartfelt emotion. She chose to sit at Jesus' feet listening to Him speak instead of helping Martha. She longed to learn from Jesus. The more she heard Him teach, the more her heart craved His words. Eventually, she needed to express tangibly how much Jesus meant to her. One evening at dinner, as Martha busily served, Mary came into the room, stood behind Jesus, broke open an extremely expensive bottle of perfume, and, without words, poured the scented oil over Him - a sacrificial act of love and devotion for Him.

How will we show our devotion for all Christ means to us? Each of us must choose, but for some, like Mary, a quiet, heart-felt sacrifice of love, gratitude, and praise is the only way.

Insight: "...My sole purpose is to live simply and purely in devotion to the Lord...being still and waiting, sitting at His feet." (Cynthia Heald)

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 Prayer and financial partners,
If you would like to become a prayer partner and 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
 
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+ Whatever You Do

Date: April 3, 2014 11:12 PM
Topic: +DEV+  Whatever You Do

Whatever You Do

"And whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17)

Scripture Focus: Luke 10:38-42; John 11:23-27

It sometimes happens - we invite guests we dearly love. Then, attempting to make their stay perfect, we become exhausted and begin to feel sorry for ourselves, even complaining in these times.

Martha is known for whining to Jesus about her sister Mary not helping her. It must have taken an enormous amount of work to make sure there were baths, washed clothing, bedding and food for that group of road-weary, hungry itinerant men. To Martha's credit, her heart was in the right place. When Jesus asked her, "Do you believe?" she responded, "Yes...I believe you are the Christ, the Son of God...."

My guess is that Martha enjoyed serving. She could have sat listening to Jesus and let her servants do the chores, but the Bible says at another dinner, "Martha served...." That meal wasn't even in her home! What Martha needed to learn, however, was to use her gift of hospitality with a thankful heart out of her love for Jesus.

Do our words and actions reflect the name of Jesus? Are we giving thanks to Him?

Insight: "May I do each day's work for Jesus, with eternity's values  in view." (Alfred B. Smith)

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 Prayer and financial partners,
If you would like to become a prayer partner and 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
 
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+ Blessed Hope: Worth Waiting For

Date: April 2, 2014 11:51 PM
Topic: +DEV+  Blessed Hope: Worth Waiting For

Blessed Hope: Worth Waiting For

"...we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ..." (Titus 2:13)

Scripture Focus: Luke 2:22-39

Remember the excitement you felt as a child in the days leading up to your birthday - a cake with your name on it, gifts, a party?

As Mary and Joseph carried the baby Jesus into the temple to consecrate Him, they met Simeon, a devout old man, called to the temple courts that day by the Holy Spirit, because God had promised he would see the Messiah before he died. With impulsive joy, he took the baby in his arms praising God. He held the promised Savior. At last his wait was over. Next Anna, a wrinkled, white-haired prophetess joined them, with thanks to God reaffirming the child's future as the Redemption of Israel.

Simeon's and Anna's journeys were similar - paths of waiting for Emanuel. We believers are also called to wait expectantly for Jesus to come again. He told His disciples to be ready, because He would come back in power and glory. He will reward our service to Him and give each of us a new name. We will be awed to see Him face to face and worship Him forever. That's worth celebrating!

Insight: "Christ... will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." (Hebrews 9:28)

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 Prayer and financial partners,
If you would like to become a prayer partner and 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
 
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+ In God's Thoughts

Date: April 1, 2014 11:15 PM
Topic: +DEV+  In God's Thoughts

In God's Thoughts

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb....All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:13 and 16b)

Scripture Focus: Mark 1:2-8; 6:17-27

Last time we moved - an unexpected opportunity necessitating a quick decision. I kept asking, "Lord is this the right way? If not, please close the door." But doors kept flying open.

Sometimes God's omniscient plan is obvious. John the Baptist's life was like that. His birth, name, God-driven life and ministry were all foretold. John was born, prepared spiritually, and then preached the baptism of repentance in preparation for Christ's message of forgiveness. He was imprisoned and martyred for this cause. That was John's life - prophesied, lived, and completed - beginning to end on track with God's map.

As much as we'd like the path to always be so clear, we all have experienced the opposite. Often we feel like the children's book character Waldo in glasses and striped shirt, hidden in a sea of people and activity. Where am I anyway? Be assured that God planned and watched over you from before your birth, just as He did John. We are earmarked by Him and are never hidden from Him. He always knows where we are.

Insight: "We have been in God's thought from all eternity, and in His creative love, His attention never leaves us." (Michael Quoist)

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 Prayer and financial partners,
If you would like to become a prayer partner and 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
 
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