DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 10.17.20

Creator of All Things “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whetherthey be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” (Colossians1:16) The phrase “all things” is used throughout these verses to emphasize that everything has been brought into existence by the “dear Son” (Colossians1:13, 16-20). •All things were created through Him and for Him. •All things consist (stand together) in Him. •All things will give preeminence to Him. •All things reside in His fullness. •All things will be reconciled to Him. The list of created things in verse 16 is exhaustive: heaven, Earth, visible and invisible things, and the rulers in and of the universe—thrones, dominions, principalities, powers. Jesus Christ is “far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion,and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians1:21). The Creator existed before all things and now “approves” all things. Solomon understood this as he spoke of wisdom: “The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earthwas” (Proverbs8:22-23), just as He chose us “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians1:4). When the Lord Jesus revealed Himself to John, He said, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation1:8). These grand sweeps of eternity are anchors for our faith. But we must not lose sight that “the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word [the word of the Creator] are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment andperdition of ungodly men” (2Peter 3:7). HMM III Child-Like Trust in the Lord by Shawn McEvoy O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me. Psalm131:1-2, NAS This song, like many of the Psalms, was written by David - the man who would be Israel's greatest king. Is David who comes to mind when you think of someone "not involved in great matters" (kingdom conflicts, maybe)? Or unbothered by "things too difficult"(slaying a giant, anyone)? No, to me, this doesn't really sound like David. Doesn't really sound like me most of the time either. Let's take a quick look at three things that stand out about this little Psalm: 1) Attitude. David's "heart" - his inner being, his spirit, is not proud... of things he's done, of where he's been and where he's going... but neither is he beating himself up. He is just... content. 2) Appetite. David's "eyes" - his senses - are not haughty. He's not seeking to please them. He doesn't have the look of arrogance. He knows Whose he is, and that his needs are met not of himself. He is not restless to feed like an infant,he is not stalking around asking to eat out of boredom like my 2-year-old. 3) Aptitude. David places the responsibility for this peaceful state upon himself. Not circumstances, not achievements, not even on God. "Surely I have quieted my soul," he says. Taken all together, this shows us what trust looks like, and helps us understand why trusting God brings such soothing peace. Jesus said we must have faithlike children to come to Him. Apparently, trust is also best exemplified in little ones. Genuine Repentance 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 Because we desire to be more like Jesus, we make resolutions, ask Him to help us, and try to behave differently. Yet despite our best efforts to do things God's way, we slide back into old habits. Frustrated, we may ask Him, "Why can't I change?" The reasonis, overcoming sinful attitudes and behaviors starts with genuine repentance, which has three aspects. Conviction. The Holy Spirit will reveal the areas in which we've sinned and convict us of wrongdoing. Through Scripture, the Spirit shows us God's standard and what needs to change. Repentance begins with understanding where we have gone astray. Contrition. The next step--grieving over our iniquity--is followed by confession to the Lord. Genuine sorrow arises from the knowledge that we've sinned against Him. In contrast, human unhappiness often comes from being caught misbehaving. Other times weare miserable because of where our choices led us, or feel shame that people know about our sin. True contrition is followed by humble confession. Commitment to act. Real repentance is complete when we wholeheartedly pledge to turn from our old behavior and move toward righteous ways. God knows we won't live perfectly, but He looks for a surrendered heart that diligently seeks to obey Him. Paul used strong language when telling us to turn from iniquity: "Put to death... whatever belongs to your earthly nature" (Col. 3:5niv). What sin are you struggling to overcome? Have you genuinely repented, committing to turn from it permanently? Let the Holy Spirit empower you to change. Our Divine Teacher 1Corinthians 2:9-16 One of the reasons that many people—including believers—don’t read the Bible is because they can’t understand it. We would expect that to be the case for those who don’t know Christ, but why do so many believers fail to comprehend the truths of Scripture? Maybe it’s because they haven’t asked for help from their divine Teacher.One of the Holy Spirit’s chief responsibilities is to enable Christians to understand the things of God. The God Who Provides “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through thepower of the Holy Ghost.” (Romans15:13) God’s provisions for the believer include far more than physical necessities. These are indicated by seven beautiful titles ascribed to Him in the New Testament. The God of love: First of all, we need love, and “God is love” (1John 4:8). Then “the fruit of the Spirit is love” in our lives (Galatians5:22) because He Himself is “the God of love and peace” (2Corinthians 13:11). The God of all grace: God saves us by His grace, and then we need to “grow in grace” (2Peter 3:18). This we can do because “the God of all grace...hath called us unto his eternal glory” (1Peter 5:10). The God of peace: He satisfies the need for peace in the believer’s soul, and He’s called “the God of peace” five times in the New Testament (Romans15:33; 16:20; Philippians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:20). The God of all comfort: Our God is called “the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort,” because He “comforteth us in all our tribulation,” enabling us to provide comfort to others “by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2Corinthians 1:3-4). The God of patience: We “have need of patience” (Hebrews10:36), and this need also is supplied by “the God of patience and consolation” (Romans15:5). The God of glory: It was “the God of glory” who first called Abraham (Acts7:2), and through the Word we also “are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2Corinthians 3:18). The God of hope: By His Spirit He fills us with joy and peace, with power, and abundant hope—blessing us “with all spiritual blessings...in Christ” (Ephesians1:3). HMM Feeding the Fire by Ryan Duncan Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. - 1 Chronicles 16:11 Earlier this year I went fishing with my family up in the boundary waters of Minnesota. Ironically, the first day we pushed out onto the lake in our canoes, the weather was ideal. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, and it was warm but with a nice breezeto take the edge off. Then, like something out of a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon, the weather made a sudden shift. The next morning we got up to find a cloud had descended over the lake. It wasn�t raining per say, it was more like all the moisture in the area had gotten together and decided to smother our campsite. It was cold, it was damp, and all we could really do was huddle together for warmth. Finally I couldn�t stand it any longer,I was going to build a fire. We had all tried earlier that morning, but the damp wood was nearly impossible to burn. With no lighter fluid and only a couple of matches, I realized I was going to have to do this the hard way. First I started off with small kindling, pine needles, leaves, twigs. Then I moved on to sticks and paper. It took a long time, but at last I got a decent sized flame that would burn the big logs despite the fact that they were damp. You can be sure, nowthat we finally had a roaring fire there was no way we were going to let it go out. I bring this up because I believe the concept of building a fire is similar to building a relationship with God. When a friend of mine recently said he didn�t want to lose �the fire� God had given his spirit, I couldn�t help but remember that cold morning in Minnesota. The Holy Spirit will give us the passion and endurance to live Godly lives, but like a campfire,it will eventually burn down to embers if not supplemented by our own actions. It can be hard work at times. You�ll need to start with kindling like daily prayer and scripture reading, follow up with something bigger like volunteering at Church, and then maybe apply a large commitment like ministry. It won�t be easy, and there will be times when it all seems useless, butin the end the Holy Spirit will burn all brighter. Remember the words of Matthew, Lineupon Line �The word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line uponline; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.� (Isaiah28:13) This familiar passage (repeated mostly from Isaiah 28:10 just before it) is often cited in support of a detailed, verse-by-verse method of Bible study and exposition. However, the context is one of rebuke to the people of Ephraim (that is, the Northern Kingdom of Israel) in the days of the dividedkingdom. Isaiah especially castigates the priests and prophets who should have been teaching God�s Word to the people but who had instead become proud and then drunkards, leaving the people in great ignorance and spiritual confusion. Therefore, cried Isaiah: �Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts� (v. 9). Before they can really grow in the knowledge of God, they must be built up carefully,line upon line, for they are yet carnal babes in spiritual matters. A very similar rebuke was administered to the early Christians and would be even more appropriate today: �For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are becomesuch as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age� (Hebrews5:12-14). Such an admonition is greatly needed today, when Christian believers subsist almost entirely on spiritual milk�or even worse, on the froth that passes for evangelical literature in most Sunday schools and Christian bookstores today. We need to get back to thestrong meat of the Word, lest we �fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.� HMM Expect Success - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. -Isaiah 55:11 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/expect-success/ - Listen The 19th-century English preacher Charles H. Spurgeon, known as the "Prince of Preachers," recalled a time when a young man approached him for advice. "I have preached in the streets," the young man told him, "and I have seen no converts." "Do you expect people to be converted every time you preach?" Spurgeon asked. "No, sir." "That is the reason you do not succeed," said Spurgeon, "because you do not expect to do so." When I preach the gospel, I expect people to come to Christ-because there is power in the gospel. It impacts people. So I expect it. When we share the gospel, we should expect God to bless it. Speaking to the prophet Isaiah, God said of His word, "I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplishall I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it" (Isaiah 55:11 NLT). No doubt you know someone who doesn't want to hear about the Lord. They don't want to hear you talk about the Bible. And they don't want an invitation to church. Maybe you've written them off, because every time you engage them in a conversation, it turns into a conflict. But let me ask you something: Will you focus your prayersin particular on those difficult people? They may, in fact, be closer to coming to Christ than you realize. Sometimes, one of the reasons a person will strike out at you when you share the gospel is because they're under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. That very reaction couldbe a good sign rather than a bad one. So pray for those people. William Carey said, "Attempt great things for God. Expect great things from God." That is what we need to do as followers of Jesus Christ. Reconciled �And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciledin the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.� (Colossians1:21-22) The reconciliation act abolishes one condition and establishes another. We were �aliens...from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world� (Ephesians2:12) with our �understanding darkened� and ignorance due to a blindness of our heart (Ephesians4:18). We were enemies whose �friendship of the world� made us at �enmity with God� (James4:4). We are reconciled now. �For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly� (Romans5:6). Indeed, we are also �saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement� (Romans5:10-11) and are to be presented as a �chaste virgin to Christ� (2Corinthians 11:2). Both individually and collectively, we are �being built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood� (1Peter 2:5) who will �shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light� (1Peter 2:9). We can be absolutely sure that once we are reconciled, our alien state abolished and our adoption secured, our Lord Jesus remains the �merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people� (Hebrews2:17). Reconciliation ensures that the Lord Jesus Himself will �stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints� (1Thessalonians 3:13). �Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore� (Psalm16:11). HMM III Headof the Church �And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that inall things he might have the preeminence.� (Colossians1:18) The �head� is both �chief� and �source.� When the Lord Jesus had accomplished the work of reconciliation on Earth, God the Father �put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of himthat filleth all in all� (Ephesians1:22-23). The church, of course, is the assembly of the Redeemer, constituted and commissioned to do �the work of the ministry,� operating on Earth under delegated leaders (Ephesians4:11-12). Even though the human focus is the making of disciples (Matthew28:19-20), there is a constant gallery of �principalities and powers in heavenly places� who need the display of �the manifold wisdom of God� that is only made �known by the church� (Ephesians3:10). Although there is a sense in which all of God�s twice-born are spiritually part of a �body� that is �knit together� by the Holy Spirit (Colossians2:19), our participation is realized in the localized assemblies throughout the earth. One day the entire church will be completely assembled in heaven, a �general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven� (Hebrews12:23). Therefore, the head of the Church is preeminent and has all fullness, being the firstborn from the dead. He is �far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is tocome� (Ephesians1:21). The mission of the Church, commissioned over two millennia ago, embraces an ageless goal. Ultimately, He will �present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing� (Ephesians5:27). HMM III Be Yourself by Stephen Sanders Have you ever had someone tell you to, "Just be yourself and everything will work out"? It sounds so simple doesn't it? "Be Yourself." What does that even mean? After all, if we could simply "be ourselves," then wouldn't the world that surrounds us bea lot different? I often wonder what friendships would be like if we could simply be who we are inside; to not feel so much pressure to be less or more of an individual than we think we are supposed to be. One thing I've begun to focus on in recent months is being the sameperson everywhere I am no matter who I'm around; but that's a lot easier said that done. Don't get me wrong. I totally realize that none of us are exempt to sin. 1John 1:8-10 says this: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." Can you see how not dealing with sin appropriately keeps us from being ourselves? Behavior like this causes us to trick ourselves into thinking we are someone who we really aren't. When we ignore or hide sin, it breeds all kinds of issues, not only in us,but also in the body of Christ. So how should sin be handled? How can you "be yourself?" Well, here are 3 things that will certainly get us going in the right direction: Confession, confrontation and forgiveness. We all know that we are supposed to confess our sins to God, but what about confessing our sins to one another? Where does that fit into the picture? The answer lies within James 5:16, which instructs us to, "...confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." Why isn't the confession of sins more of a focus in the churchtoday? Shouldn't we be doing this every chance we get if it results in "healing and righteousness?" Secondly, there is confrontation. Jesus says in Matthew 18:15-17 that, "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along withyou, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church..." Notice that this scenario starts with someone taking the initiative to point out the sin. Also notice thatthis person risks not only putting his friend in an uncomfortable situation, but also being humiliated in front of others if he is wrong about his assessment. It's easy to see why the church struggles with this; it's not a simple solution. Meant for More by Kelly Givens �Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!� - 2 Corinthians 5:17 The other day I watched a video on YouTube that totally pulled at my heart. It showed two dozen ducks being introduced to a pond for the first time; the ducks had been �pets� of a hoarder who had kept them in pens all their lives. After being rescued andbrought to a pond, the frightened ducks kept their distance from the water, unwilling to go in. The rescue workers herded them into the pond, but the ducks immediately got out. Finally, the workers gently tossed them in one at a time. That seemed to do thetrick- they began tentatively swimming, then diving under and splashing themselves in the cool water. Eventually, they were all vigorously grooming themselves- probably feeling more refreshed, clean, more like ducks than they had ever felt before. I wonder what thoughts the ducks might have had while they were in those pens. Did they ever wonder - �Why do I have these wings- what are they for? And why are my feet so awkward?� The joy they must have felt when their webbed feet first glided throughwater and their wings spread out with room and air to soar, when those unnamed desires- to swim, to fly- were first named and fulfilled. And then I think of how much they resisted getting in the water in the first place. We are so similar to these ducks. We too have unnamed longings, unanswered questions about our lives here on earth. The world doesn�t satisfy us, it lets us down, but we don�t know where to look for more. We see this in the football champion who wakes upafter the biggest game of his life and all he feels an empty, �What�s next?� Or in the young executive who climbs the corporate ladder, believing the next job title will finally make him significant. We see it in the teen who does harder and harder drugs ona never ending quest to reach a high that will erase all the lows of her life. We all have an emptiness inside we want to fill, a purpose in life we want to find, questions we want someone to answer. The Christian narrative gives us these answers. Christ fills us up, he gives us purpose- but we have to be willing to �get in the water�- believe in him- to experience these things. We yearn for more because we were created for more- for eternal life inthe presence of our Lord and Savior. Through faith in Jesus, we�re given purpose for today and in the days to come, and satisfying joy when we live for God�s glory and not our own. Sadly, we resist believing this good newsbecause we think the world can give us what we yearn for. To think this way is pointless, a �chasing after the wind.� (Ecc. 1:14) Why God Speaks James 1:23-25 God is not one to speak in generalities. When He whispers from the pages of Scripture or confronts through a friend's words, the Father directly addresses issues in His children's lives. With that in mind, let's look at His three goals for communicatingwith believers�namely, for us to: 1. Comprehend the truth. God wants us to learn His ways and principles, to recognize our own frailty, and to identify the needs of others. He does more than offer this as head knowledge�He makes truth applicable to our lives. For example,the Lord assured Paul that His strength was sufficient to carry the apostle through anything (2 Cor. 12:9). Circumstances taught the apostle that God's Word was true. A Prodigal Prophet - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. -Jonah 4:1 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-prodigal-prophet/ - Listen Sometimes people worry about new believers not changing quickly enough, but I'm more concerned with older converts who have stopped changing. New believers are still figuring out their newfound faith. Maybe they're a little rough around the edges. Maybe some profanity slips out from time to time, or they haven'tcompletely gotten rid of some old vices. You think they have a little growing to do, and that is understandable. Actually, I'm pretty patient with that sort of thing. However, what concerns me is the person who has known the Lord for years and stopped changing a long time ago. What'smore, they've become crankier and meaner, yet they quote the Bible all the time. They're bitter and very critical. Their new form of ministry seems to be tearing other people down. They're using the passion they once had for evangelism to critique otherChristians. What happened to them? How did they end up in that state? They've stagnated in their walk with Christ. They're no longer making changes. When we come to the fourth chapter of Jonah, that is what we see happening. Jonah was a mature believer. He should have known better, but he was having a relapse. In effect,Jonah was a prodigal prophet. And he was angry and bitter toward God. People can be used in remarkable ways by God, yet they can make big mistakes and commit sins afterward. We see this in the lives of Abraham, Moses, Samson, David, and SimonPeter. Jonah was waiting for judgment to fall on Nineveh, and mercy fell instead. In the same way, some Christians are more concerned with their comfort than with the souls oflost people. If we don't get excited when a lost person comes to Jesus, then we need to ask God to change our hearts. Angry About the Wrong Things - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Just kill me now, LORD! I'd rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen. -Jonah 4:3 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/angry-about-the-wrong-things/ - Listen If I were Jonah and were writing my own story, I would have ended the book with chapter 3. It's an epic ending. Thousands of people in Nineveh believed.It was a great revival. Drop the mic. Exit stage. But to Jonah's credit, he gave us chapter 4. It begins this way: "This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complainedto the Lord about it: 'Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish!'" (verses 1-2 NLT). Amazingly, Jonah was angry because God didn't wipe out the Ninevites. He should have been rejoicing, and instead, he was really mad. He said, "I knewthat you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people" (verse 2 NLT). Jonah was also preoccupied with himself. He said, "Just kill me now, Lord! I'd rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen" (verse3 NLT). I love God's response: "Is it right for you to be angry about this?" (verse 4 NLT). A clear translation of what God said would be this: "You are veryangry, aren't you?" In the original language, that word angry means "to burn with anger." Jonah was fuming. Think about it. Here was a guy who survived three days and three nights in a fish's stomach. He repented and prayed and preached the truth. The peopleof Nineveh came to believe. And then, amazingly, we see Jonah in this condition. This reminds us that no matter how powerfully you are used by God, you can still crash and burn. No matter how incredibly God blesses you, you canstill self-destruct. You can still sin-and sin horribly. How We Lose Eternal Perspective - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org There is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteousand haven't strayed away! -Luke 15:7 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/how-we-lose-eternal-perspective/- Listen Have you ever felt as though God has let you down? You had certain dreams, certain aspirations, and certain hopes. But those thingsdidn't turn out as you planned. Jonah felt like God had let him down. He was angry that God didn't judge the people of Nineveh, and he was actually falling intosin. There are a lot of ways to fall into sin. Sin makes us stupid, so we don't think clearly. That's what happened to Jonah. He was in a state of spiritual failure. The Bible tells us, "Then Jonah went out to the east sideof the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city. And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah's head, shading him from the sun" (Jonah 4:5-6 NLT). Jonah pulled up a ringside seat, hoping to be entertained. But things didn't go as planned, because the next verse says, "Godalso arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away" (verse 7 NLT). God had spared thousands of lives, yet Jonah was upset that he lost his temporary comfort. God told him, "You feel sorry aboutthe plant, though you did nothing to put it there. . . . But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?" (verse 10-11 NLT). Jonah lost his eternal perspective, and we can do the same thing. Sometimes we think too much about ourselves and don't thinkabout people who don't know the Lord. God cares about lost people-and so should we. WatchfulSobriety �Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whomhe may devour.� (1Peter 5:8) Several words are used in Scripture to imply spiritual watchfulness, and each has a slightly different meaning. Only as we compare and combine these words do we get the full force of the Scripture exhortations to watchfulness. One such word is the Greek word agrupneo, translated �watch.� In Mark 13:33 we read, �Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.� The word literally means to be sleepless and comes from two Greek words meaning �to chase� and �sleep.� It implies a purposeful and active state of awareness. More commonly used is gregoreo. It is a stronger word, meaning to arouse oneself and shake off lethargy, implying activity as on the part of one who is fully awake. �Watch ye, stand fast in the faith� (1Corinthians 16:13), and �continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving� (Colossians4:2). �Watch ye, therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh� (Mark13:35). A third word is nepho, which literally means to abstain from drink that would produce stupor, as well as sleep, and therefore conveys the additional idea of sobriety. By combining the teaching of these three words, we are instructed not only to keepawake but to keep active and to avoid the intoxication of this world�s seductive pleasures. In our text, we see that we are not only to be sober (nepho) and vigilant (gregoreo), but we also see the reason why. Our �adversary the devil� is a vicious opponent. He stalks us both day and night with brutal cunning. We dare not underestimatehim by figuratively closing our eyes in sleep or dulling our senses with intoxicants. �Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober� (1Peter 1:13). JDM Fill 'er Up by John UpChurch �Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you theword of God in its fullness�the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.� - Colossians1:24-26 Right after I got married, I gave up computer software updates and PC troubleshooting for something a bit more� down to earth, you could say. I needed work in my new hometown, and since employers weren�t tracking me down and forcing jobs on me, I gravitatedtoward the only available option: construction. With a booming housing market at the time, finding enough to do wasn�t a problem. But finding motivation was a problem. Going from a specialized, higher-paying job in computers, where I mostly sat at my desk all day, to cleaning up cinder blocks, wrestling with insulation, and scrubbing windows�that was quite the humbling thing.Honestly, I�d never had to do any real manual labor in my life before that (yes, I was coddled). The heat and pain and bloodied hands were all new to me. The first few weeks, after a particularly arduous day of gophering around the jobsites, I�d come home and crash on the living room floor. My muscles weren�t used to the beating they took, and they made sure I knew about it. Slowly, however, with all the wood slinging and nail pounding and putty slapping, things changed. The nights of carpet collapses became less frequent, and my hands didn�t split open nearly as often (unless you count the numerous times I stabbed myself witha chisel). In fact, I came to enjoy the process of seeing something come together, seeing a house take shape. My spiritual growth has come in a similar fashion�just without the splinters. At first, the failures dragged me down and beat me up. The rejections when I tried to share my newfound faith stung. The transformation cut deep. But as I grew and as God worked in me, something changed. The pain still stings and the transformation still cuts (that never stops), yet I began to see the pain as an important part of the overall process. Christis building something in me�and in His Church. God Accomplishes What Concerns You Psalms 138:7-8 David was a man who walked through trouble on a regular basis. His psalms express the struggles and disappointments he faced, yet in the end, he always turned his focus back to God. The key to his victorious attitude was his strong faith in the Lord. David was confident in God's purpose. That's why he could say, "The Lord will accomplish what concerns me" (v. 8). The only way we can walk through trouble and not be defeated is by keeping our focus on the Lord and His purpose. He has promised to do agood work in our lives, but sometimes the only way He can complete it is in valleys of hardship. Continue in the Faith �If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.� (Colossians1:23) In the New Testament, the use of the definite article �the� always modifies the noun that follows. In this case, �the faith� insists on a particular body of doctrine that defines the Christian life. For instance, as Paul and Barnabas were returning from theirinitial missionary effort, they went back to each area �confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith� (Acts 14:22). There are nearly 50 occurrences in the New Testament where �the faith� is used in this way. These references always speak of obedience to specific teachings that embrace the core of the godly lifestyle that represents holiness and the divine nature (2Peter 1:4). Thus, one who is �grounded and settled� in the faith will be both knowledgeable and stable in his Christian testimony and ministry. It is necessary, of course, to build on the foundation of the Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:11), but only the �gold, silver, precious stones� have any lastingvalue (1 Corinthians 3:12- 15)�hence the requirement in Jude: �It was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contendfor the faith which was once delivered unto the saints� (Jude 1:3). Furthermore, those who continue in the faith will not be �moved away from the hope of the gospel.� That hope acts as �an anchor of the soul� (Hebrews 6:19)and is the drive that motivates us to maintain a purity of lifestyle (1 John 3:3). �Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always aboundingin the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord� (1 Corinthians 15:58). HMM III You Decide the Ending - by Greg Laurie- www.harvest.org Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. -2 Corinthians 5:9 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/you-decide-the-ending/ - Listen Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, "Great is the art of beginning, but greater the art is of ending." One of the things I've realized over the years is that life can be full of surprises. For instance, people whom I thought would make their mark onthe world simply crashed and burned. Then there were others whose potential wasn't all that obvious. I wondered whether they would amount to much of anything. Yet God put His hand on themin an amazing way, and they achieved things in an incredible way. The Bible tells the story of someone who had the potential to become one of the greatest leaders in the history of Israel. He was actually a judgeover Israel during the time when Israel was ruled by various judges. His name was Samson, and God's hand was on him in an amazing way. Yet Samson had an incredible beginning and a tragic ending. One day, your life will be summed up in a paragraph on a program that will be handed out at your memorial service. When that day comes, no one willcare about how high you climbed in your profession. No one will care about what kind of car you drove or how much money you made. Rather, they will talk about what kind of person you were. So what would you write for your obituary? You decide how your story will end spiritually. God said, "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today againstyou, I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV). God wants you to be a spiritual success. God wants you to touch this world. But if you self-destruct spiritually, that is not on God. That's on you. VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM