03/20/2022
Sunday March 20, 2022
Day
Verse
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:12-13
Inspiration
Many people have heard the old English saying, "The proof is in the pudding." But when this proverb was first recorded in 1605, it read "The proof of the pudding is in the eating," which makes much more sense. If we understand the word "proof" means "evidence," then the evidence of whether a pudding is good or not is found in the eating of it. If it tastes good, then it has proven itself, because it is successful at its intended purpose. The evidence of God's love for us is found in the true sacrifice of Christ. It was not just that Christ gave His life for us, but that "even while we were sinners" He gave His life. He didn't die for a good and righteous people. He didn't die for people who were selfless and kind. He died for sinners. This is the true proof of the unconditional, no-strings-attached love that our God has for us.
Prayer
Lord, I thank you for what you did for me all those years ago, and what you do for me daily. I will never understand the magnitude of your love for me, but I am gratefully accepting it. I pray that I always remember that, even in my sins, you saw my worth and now I write for you. Help me to see the worth in all people. Help me learn to love them the way that you do and help me learn how to sacrifice my needs and desires so that I may help others. Amen.🙏
Devotion
We are all witnesses
We are all witnesses to God's power. His spirit lives in all of us, not just the clergy and not just the believers; in all of us. The Holy Spirit binds us all, lives within all of us, regardless of whether or not we believe.
The idea is that there is a spirit that binds us and lives inside of us, that can be very intimidating. The Holy Spirit is nothing to be intimidated by: Let me explain,
Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: such there is no law.
Jesus acted as an example to all of us. Jesus showed and told all of us all about the Holy Spirit; just by the way that he lived his life. We are alive in a time thousands of years after his death, but do you feel that you have not witnessed it in some way? No person, living or dead, has had a greater impact on humanity than him, and nobody ever will. The speech in this verse could be amended greatly considering the times: "ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in the Americas, Africa, and in Asia, Europe, and throughout all of human history." We are all witnesses.
What we choose to do as witnesses of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is a different matter entirely. As witnesses to his shining example, how would he want us to live? I believe that he would want us to live as he did, as he showed, as he told us to live. He wanted us to witness his life, and he would want other people to witness OUR lives. We can also be an example, a light to the world, a city on a hill for others to witness and be encouraged by. Christians have had this role throughout history; missionaries have traveled far and wide, trying to teach others and live as examples so that others can witness the Holy Ghost.
