A little late but here is yesterday's REAL Devotion. Is it time to blow the dust off your bible?
Romans 15:4
Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And
the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s
promises to be fulfilled. (New
Living Translation)
Have you ever seen in a movie or a television show, someone
going into the deep, dark recesses of a library to find some ancient tome? The
shelves are covered in cobwebs, and retrieving a book causes so much dust you
think they'll never stop coughing. Do you ever feel the same way about the
Bible? As in, "What possible relevance could there be in a book written
thousands of years ago?" Yep, me too - I struggle as well. The reason? I
let life cause me to forget just how amazing this love letter from God is.
I have days when I'm busy, I'm tired, I feel
bogged down, I'm distracted - you name it. We all experience seasons of feeling
disconnected, or even far away, from God. If you haven't, you probably will,
and if you have, you probably will again. In those times it's even more
important to remember who you are - a child of God - a God who loves you and
wants you to know how much. That's why He gave us the Bible. After Jesus, the
Bible was the greatest gift God could have given us. Though it was written so
long ago, it is still relevant and alive, full of encouragement and hope to
face whatever life has to throw at us.
There is hope and encouragement all through the
Bible, both Old and New Testament....
Psalm 39:7 says, "And so oh Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in
you."
Psalm 119:114 declares, "You are
my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope."
Psalm 129
gives examples of how much God intimately knows us, how much He loves us
despite intimately knowing us, and how we can never escape from that love. How
encouraging it is to know Almighty God, the creator of the world, the King of
kings and Lord of lords opens His arms to us so we can know His love.
Jeremiah
29:11 tells us that God has a plan for our life - a
good plan, which includes hope for a good future. This was originally spoken to
the Israelites after they'd been taken captive by the Babylonians. God allowed
this to happen to them because not only were they ignoring Him, worshipping
lumps of metal or bits of wood, using temple prostitutes and occasionally
sacrificing their own children. And yet God let them know He would not desert
them - even after all they had done. Instead, He encouraged them, telling of
His desire to still be a part of their lives, and His plan for a future filled
with hope.That hope was fulfilled by Jesus, and his death
on the cross, making a way for us to have a relationship with God.
My
relationship with God grows when I spend time with Him; praying, reading the
Bible and letting the knowledge of His love wash over me. When the Bible was
being written, God had us in mind as well. We can know the same encouragement
God gave to Abraham, Jacob and David. Because of Jesus we can have the same
hope that stirred up Peter, Paul and the Apostles to spread God's word throughout
the entire Roman Empire.
Spend some time reading passages that encourage
you. Print them out and put them where you can see them regularly. God desires
us to know just how much He loves us.