April 6, 2017

"If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:3

How can you find peace of mind in a world filled with danger, turmoil and strife?

Jesus' answer is, "Let not your heart be troubled......"

Then Jesus told gave some reasons why you don't need to be troubled.

He cares!

He prepares!

The third reason is what I want to focus on today - He is there!

Jesus said, if I go then I will come again.

We know that He went so we must conclude that He will come to us as He promised.

Make no mistake, I believe in the personal, powerful, glorious return of Jesus at the end of the age. But I also remember His last words to His disciples were, "And lo, I am with you to the end of the age!"

We serve a God Who can be THERE in heaven preparing for us and also be THERE with us caring in our time of need!

By nature He is omnipresent. That means He is a Spirit Who can be everywhere at once! And since He is also omnipotent (all powerful) when He shows up, He comes with full power!

Isn't it great to serve a God Who can be there where He needs to be and also be there when we need Him to be!

That is our God!

Fear not!

Let not your heart be troubled!

Be anxious for nothing!

Your God cares!

Your God prepares!

And your God is there!

April 5, 2017

“I go to prepare a place for you…..” John 14:2

Knowing that I can trust God to care for me helps you find peace from fear and anxiety. With the way He cares you can choose not to let your heart be troubled.

But, good news! Here is another reason to have peace!

Not only does He care but He prepares!

He prepared a planet!

If you want to know how good God is at preparing things, think about creation! He prepared the earth and sky and seas and animals and stars and universe in just SIX days by just the power of His word!

He prepared a plan!

A second way to know you can trust God's trustworthiness is not only His creation but His Christ! Christ is the way to overcome the sin that spoiled the original creation and made possible a new creation. That new creation is a spiritual transformation made possible by Christ's death on the cross to atone for sin.

The new creation is even more beautiful and powerful than the original creation!

He is preparing a place!

One great cause for anxiety is uncertainty about what awaits after death. Jesus assures you that He is preparing for that as well!

Something in the human psyche needs the security of a place! A place to live, a place to belong, a place to work, a place to worship, et al. So Jesus promised He is preparing a place for you! He is preparing an eternal place where you can belong and be loved and find safety forever!

Here's a few things that will be great about that place He is preparing. First, HE IS THERE! And second, he has been preparing it for 2,000 years! Third, He is preparing it especially for you - your own eternal custom-built home!

When you think of how He cares and when you ponder on how He prepares - what do you have to be anxious about?

Here's how the ancient shepherd/poet/king expressed it:

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23

Don't let your heart be troubled - He cares!

Don't let your heart be troubled - He prepares!

April 4, 2017

“Let not your heart be troubled……” John 14:1

A four-year-old and a six-year-old presented their mom with a houseplant.

They had used their own money to buy it and she was thrilled.

The older of them said with a sad face, "There was a bouquet at the flower shop that we wanted to give you. It was real pretty but it was too expensive. It had a ribbon on it that said ‘Rest In Peace,’ and we thought it would be just perfect since you are always asking for a little peace so that you can rest.

Where can you find peace like that?

Jesus promised His disciples they come find peace if they would believe Him when He said, "I will care for you!"

How does He care?

Here's how!

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” I Corinthians 10:13

He cares when He permits your troubles - "who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able."

If you are a child of God He permits the trials that come into your life. They come by His consent and under His control. He knows the limits of your faith and won't permit anything that can push you beyond your limits!

He cares that you endure trials!

He’s present in your troubles - "God is faithful".

One of the reasons you will be able to endure your trial is not only because God knows your limits but also because He will be there with you to strengthen and support you!

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with me!"

He cares that you do not struggle alone!

He prevails over your troubles - "but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."

God is on the front end of your trials, and in the midst of your trials and when it ends! He never leaves you or forsakes you!

God is undefeated! He has never lost! the one time that it appeared He had lost, three days later He won!

God cares for you in your troubles!

Let not your heart be troubled!

April 3, 2017

“Let not your heart be troubled……” John 14:1

When life gets overwhelming and anxiety gets you in its grip, what can you do?

Jesus said, "Don't be anxious! I care about you!"

One cause of anxiety is the feeling of alienation or rejection. It makes a big difference to know someone cares - especially when that someone is Jesus!

Jesus was about to suffer terribly but He was concerned about them not Himself. That shoes He cares for you

Even when He was on the cross He was concerned for His mother and His persecutors and the thief on the cross!

During His earthly ministry He was often moved with compassion by those who were ill, abused, possessed or spiritually lost.

Below are some verses reminding you how Jesus cares for you.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” I Corinthians 10:13

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” I Peter 5:7

“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” Psalm 55:22

“Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.” Psalms 103:13-14

"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. "So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”  Matthew 10:30-31

Fear not!

Don't be overcome with anxiety!

Jesus cares about you!

Jesus wants to care for you!

April 2, 2017

                                                           

DAY FORTY

April 2, 2017

He Is Faithful

"They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:23

God has given Fredericksburg Wesleyan Church a vision for the future.  As we have explored forty days of prayer and fasting in pursuit of this dream, we have found Him to be a faithful promise keeper.  Today’s devotional is dedicated to praising the Lord for this aspect of His character.

Prayer Focus:  Praise Him using this wonderful old hymn:

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

(Text by Thomas O. Chisholm. Music by William M. Runyan)

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Chorus

Great is Thy faithfulness!  Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and spring-time and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Repeat Chorus

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Repeat Chorus

Click on song: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Great+Is+Thy+Faithfulness+Song&&view=detail&mid=FBFF7507BDF5B69E6E3CFBFF7507BDF5B69E6E3C&FORM=VRDGAR

April 1, 2017

                                                    

DAY THIRTY-NINE

April 1, 2017

Why Pray?

“…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

Can prayer really make a difference?  Can my prayers actually change things?  Is it possible for the will of God to be thwarted because I don’t pray?  These are legitimate questions.  The answers you give them reflect the very foundation of your relationship with the Lord.  On one hand, if God is Sovereign, He’s going to do everything the way He wants to, so why pray?  On the other hand, if He is waiting on my prayers to execute His will, then I had better get serious about praying really quickly.  How does God’s Sovereignty and my prayers go together?

God uses prayer to make the impossible, possible and the ordinary, extraordinary.  Prayers make our efforts effective and help us to define God’s will more clearly.  C.H. Spurgeon said, “Whenever God determines to do a great work, He first sets His people to pray.”  Faithful praying releases the Holy Spirit to act and allows us to see God in His full glory.

I think it was John Wesley that once said, “God does things when we pray that He does not do when we do not pray.”  Let today’s devotional be an inspiration for you to seek the Lord in prayer.  Look up prayer in your Bible’s concordance.  Then read and study those verses it gives you.  It will help you become endeared to prayer and to realize just how vital prayer is.

Prayer Focus:  Thank God for hearing all the prayers that have been lifted up on our church’s behalf.  Thank Him for answering them.  Pray that God’s people at Fred Wes will pray more than ever before and that everything we do as a church will be labored over in prayer.

March 31, 2017

                                               

DAY THIRTY-EIGHT

March 31, 2017

Truth and Freedom

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  John  8:32

In a day before politicians decided truth according to polls and partisanship, Abraham Lincoln made decisions based on principle.  His most notable act was the Emancipation Proclamation.  It was New Year’s Day, 1863, when this decree was first publicly stated.  It would be almost two years later, two years after his death his convictions were made official in the Constitution.  Lincoln took a stand without compromise that would nearly rip our nation apart and cause much bloodshed.  He knew there were some things that were worth standing for, even if it meant a fight.  Personal freedom for everyone is such a thing.

An unusual thing happened after the war.  Even after an amendment to the Constitution, slaves continued to live as slaves.  Shelby Foote records for us what one Alabama slave said in 1864, “I don’t know nothing ‘bout Abraham Lincoln ‘cep they say he set us free.  And I don’t know nothing ‘bout that neither.”  How tragic.  Strange as it may seem, man preferred the security of slavery to the uncertainty of freedom.

It is tragic when someone does not exercise his personal freedom.  Even more so are God’s people who have been set free spiritually but who are content to remain in their slavery.  Jesus Christ is the Great Emancipator who has paid the ultimate price for His people to be free from the bondage of sin.

Consider these verses:

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”  Galatians 5:1

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”  Romans 6:6-7

“Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”  Romans 8:2

Prayer Focus:  Pray that Fred Wes believers are a discerning people who will claim our Christ-earned freedom.