​The Word of Grace Devotion for the Week of September 14, 2020

A Time of Forgetfulness

Isaiah 17:10-11, “You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines, 11though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain.” NIV

In these two verses we notice the judgment of God against Israel because they had forgotten God their Savior. We wonder how can that be? Yet, as a nation we also have forgotten God our Savior. We have trusted in our own strength and are reaping the consequences.

The Lord’s judgment against Israel also brought their hard work to nothing. They would work hard to plant and grow crops (both literally and figuratively), “yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain.”

In this time of great division and great pain we may ponder why is it all happening? After all, why does God need us to remember Him? Why can’t we just leave Him alone, and He leave us alone? We can’t because if we forget Him, we can forget about our salvation.

Beloved, Satan does not need to make us bank robbers or murderers to destroy us. It is quite enough to simply make us forget. We can forget because of sleepiness, we can forget because of a lack of attention, we can forget because we are distracted. Satan doesn’t care much about how he does it, but he does want us to forget the God of our salvation.

My prayer for us is that we would once again restore the passion for our salvation and our Savior. We desperately need Jesus in this time of great turmoil and indeed all the time! May we not live as though He does not exist but may we live for Him!

I pray that you will have a blessed week! I love you and I will be praying for you!

 

In Him-

Pastor Joe

The Word of Grace Devotion for the Week of August 31, 2020
Perspective
2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” NIV
Beloved, I was recently watching “The World’s Toughest Race” on TV. It was a grueling 617 Kilometers through the jungles, rivers and mountains of the Islands of Fiji. Team New Zealand won the race in 141 hours and 23 minutes. I watched in amazement as 66 teams competed for the prize. What kept them going? It was perspective that kept them going.
In like manner, our lives are similar to the World’s Toughest Race. Our lives are filled with trial after trial, impediment after impediment and we could easily fold in the midst of a difficult situation. This is where we need perspective.
Though our bodies are getting older, “we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” We know that all these troubles we endure are, “light and momentary troubles,” and “are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
Through the midst of all the difficulties that life brings we must, “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Beloved, Team New Zealand had perspective. They fixed their eyes on the prize and kept going. There certainly were moments of despair but they persevered and endured and occasionally earned medallions along the way, which encouraged them to keep going.
Beloved, we also must not lose hope. We must not allow the troubles of this world to overwhelm us. We need to endure, persevere and especially keep an eternal perspective. The prize of heaven awaits us. We must fix our eyes on the eternal!
I pray that you will have a blessed week! I love you and I will be praying for you!


In Jesus Name’
Pastor Joe ​