LHM Daily Devotion - August 18, 2017 "Last Requests"

Emily Pomeranz, a resident of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, was dying.

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour

"Last Requests"

August 18, 2017

(Jesus said) "Yet a little while and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live."

~ John 14:19 (ESV)

Emily Pomeranz, a resident of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, was dying.

This was her second go-round with pancreatic cancer, and there was no doubt she was losing the battle. Her friends, including one by the name of Sam Klein, would often stop by for a visit. More than once these friends asked, "Is there anything we can do? Anything we can get you?"

Well, Pomeranz put some thought into her friend's requests to provide assistance. She eventually came up with two items. So the next time Klein asked what she needed, she was able to say, "I'd like a Cleveland Indian's hat." Klein thought a hat would be no problem. The second thing on Pomeranz's list was harder. She said, "I want a Tommy's mocha milkshake."

I should tell you Tommy's Restaurant, the restaurant from which this milkshake was to come, was 400 miles away: a tough distance for any milkshake to travel.

Well, Tommy Fello, the owner of the restaurant was touched by, and started out to fulfill, Pomeranz's request. The mercy mission was assisted by a dry ice donation from an ice cream company in Cleveland. Fello made up his concoction, packed it, and paid $123 for overnight shipping to Pomeranz's room.

The mocha milkshake made it to the hospital. Pomeranz enjoyed it and talked about it for days.

Now, my question to you is this: if you were in Pomeranz's situation, and odds are that someday we will be, what will be your last request? It's quite possible the thought of a mocha milkshake might be high on your list -- nothing wrong with that. And maybe you would want a Chicago Bear's cap. That would be okay, too.

But would there be anything of a spiritual nature on your list of special requests?

Over the years, I have waited at the deathbeds of some powerful saints. These people were looking at life from a different perspective than most. No longer did they number their days in weeks and months. They were in a final countdown, and their Savior who had always been important had become more so.

These people knew that when their doctors were helpless Jesus was just beginning. And they were incredibly grateful to their Redeemer for the forgiveness He had won for them during His life, His suffering, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection. Yes, they were thankful to Him and desired to share Him with those around them, which is why I've seen their last wishes include

1. talking to family members about their faith which had been neglected;

2. mending bridges with friendships that had been washed away;

3. planning a funeral service which would bear witness to the Savior who had blessed them.

Oh, there's one other thing I should share about these folks and their last requests. To a person, each of them knew that their "last request" was really not their last. They let everyone know that because Jesus lives, they would continue to live also.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, there is a time when I must say my earthly farewells. Grant that I do so bearing witness to You who has done what was necessary so these won't be my final goodbyes. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin!  Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).

CPTLN Devocional de 18 de Agosto de 2017

Alimento Diario

Perdón sin medida

18 de Agosto 2017

Yo no encuentro delito alguno en este hombre.

~ Lucas 23:4b (RVC)

¿Alguna vez lo pusieron en un grupo con personas no deseables a las que no consideraba como sus iguales? ¿Recuerda la injusticia de ese acto? Usted sabía que era malo, pero también sabía que no era tan malo como el resto del grupo.

Piense por un momento cómo se habrá sentido Jesús cuando, en su camino al lugar donde sería brutalmente crucificado, iba acompañado por dos malhechores comunes quienes, con justa razón, iban a ser crucificados. Jesús no merecía la muerte -ni la muerte en la cruz, ni ninguna otra.

Es difícil siquiera imaginar lo injusto que esta escena fue para Jesús. "Él es la imagen del Dios invisible, el primogénito de toda la creación" (Colosenses 1:15).

Por la gracia de Dios, uno de los criminales entendió; él comprendió qué era lo que estaba ocurriendo en ese preciso momento. El otro, en cambio, no entendió y trató de enervar amargura en Jesús. El malhechor lo amonestó diciendo: "Lo que nosotros ahora padecemos es justo, porque estamos recibiendo lo que merecían nuestros hechos, pero éste no cometió ningún crimen" (Lucas 23:41).

Él 'no ha hecho nada malo', dicen las Escrituras, pero aún así: "Pero él será herido por nuestros pecados; ¡molido por nuestras rebeliones! Sobre él vendrá el castigo de nuestra paz, y por su llaga seremos sanados." (Isaías 53:5)

¡Hemos sido sanados!

Nosotros somos como esos dos que merecen morir. Pero gracias a su sangre derramada, ¡hemos sido sanados!

ORACIÓN: Amado Padre, en la sangre de tu Hijo hay vida para todo aquel que cree. Tú puedes cambiar vidas a través de la fe y otorgar vida eterna. Nuestros pecados son grandes, pero tu gracia es aún mayor. Por tu Espíritu Santo mantennos cerca de ti. En el nombre de Cristo oramos. Amén.

Biografía del autor: Esta devoción esta basada en un texto proporcionado por Ilze Abrama, quien trabaja en las oficinas de Cristo Para Todas las Naciones en Letonia.

© Copyright 2017 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. ¡Utilice estas devociones en sus boletines! Usado con permiso. Todos los derechos reservados por la Int'l LLL.

The Daily Readings for THURSDAY, August 17, 2017

The Request of James and John

Opening Sentence

The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.

~ Habakkuk 2:20

Morning Prayer

Lord, the newness of this day Calls me to an untried way; Let me gladly take the road, Give me strength to bear my load. Thou my guide and helper be — I will travel through with Thee. Amen.

Confession and Forgiveness

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Today's Readings

The First Reading is taken from 2 Samuel 15:1-18

[Absalom Usurps the Throne] After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run ahead of him. Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the road into the gate; and when anyone brought a suit before the king for judgment, Absalom would call out and say, "From what city are you?" When the person said, "Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel," Absalom would say, "See, your claims are good and right; but there is no one deputed by the king to hear you." Absalom said moreover, "If only I were judge in the land! Then all who had a suit or cause might come to me, and I would give them justice." Whenever people came near to do obeisance to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of them, and kiss them. Thus Absalom did to every Israelite who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel. At the end of four years Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go to Hebron and pay the vow that I have made to the LORD. For your servant made a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram: If the LORD will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will worship the LORD in Hebron." The king said to him, "Go in peace." So he got up, and went to Hebron. But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then shout: Absalom has become king at Hebron!" Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom; they were invited guests, and they went in their innocence, knowing nothing of the matter. While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city Giloh. The conspiracy grew in strength, and the people with Absalom kept increasing.
[David Flees from Jerusalem] A messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the Israelites have gone after Absalom." Then David said to all his officials who were with him at Jerusalem, "Get up! Let us flee, or there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Hurry, or he will soon overtake us, and bring disaster down upon us, and attack the city with the edge of the sword." The king's officials said to the king, "Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king decides." So the king left, followed by all his household, except ten concubines whom he left behind to look after the house. The king left, followed by all the people; and they stopped at the last house. All his officials passed by him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.

The Second Reading is taken from Acts 21:27-36

[Paul Arrested in the Temple] When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, who had seen him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd. They seized him, shouting, "Fellow Israelites, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this place; more than that, he has actually brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place." For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. Then all the city was aroused, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. While they were trying to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. Immediately he took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. When they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the tribune came, arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; he inquired who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd shouted one thing, some another; and as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. When Paul came to the steps, the violence of the mob was so great that he had to be carried by the soldiers. The crowd that followed kept shouting, "Away with him!"

The Holy Gospel is written in Mark 10:32-45

[A Third Time Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection] They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again."
[The Request of James and John] James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They replied, "We are able." Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

Morning Psalms

Psalm 105:1-22 Confitemini Domino
1   Give thanks to the LORD and call upon his Name; make known his deeds among the peoples.
2   Sing to him, sing praises to him, and speak of all his marvelous works.
3   Glory in his holy Name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4   Search for the LORD and his strength; continually seek his face.
5   Remember the marvels he has done, his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,
6   O offspring of Abraham his servant, O children of Jacob his chosen.
7   He is the LORD our God; his judgments prevail in all the world.
8   He has always been mindful of his covenant, the promise he made for a thousand generations:
9   The covenant he made with Abraham, the oath that he swore to Issac,
10   Which he established as a statute for Jacob, an everlasting covenant for Israel,
11   Saying, "To you will I give the land of Canaan to be your allotted inheritance."
12   When they were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in the land,
13   Wandering from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another,
14   He let no one oppress them and rebuked kings for their sake,
15   Saying, "Do not touch my anointed and do my prophets no harm."
16   Then he called for a famine in the land and destroyed the supply of bread.
17   He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18   They bruised his feet in fetters; his neck they put in an iron collar.
19   Until his prediction came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him.
20   The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free.
21   He set him as a master over his household, as a ruler over all his possessions,
22   To instruct his princes according to his will and to teach his elders wisdom.

Evening Psalms

Psalm 105:23-45 Et intravit Israel
23   Israel came into Egypt, and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham.
24   The LORD made his people exceedingly fruitful; he made them stronger than their enemies;
25   Whose heart he turned, so that they hated his people, and dealt unjustly with his servants.
26   He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron whom he had chosen.
27   They worked his signs among them, and portents in the land of Ham.
28   He sent darkness, and it grew dark; but the Egyptians rebelled against his words.
29   He turned their waters into blood and caused their fish to die.
30   Their land was overrun by frogs, in the very chambers of their kings.
31   He spoke, and there came swarms of insects and gnats within all their borders.
32   He gave them hailstones instead of rain, and flames of fire throughout their land.
33   He blasted their vines and their fig trees and shattered every tree in their country.
34   He spoke, and the locust came, and young locusts without number,
35   Which ate up all the green plants in their land and devoured the fruit of their soil.
36   He struck down the firstborn of their land, the firstfruits of all their strength.
37   He led out his people with silver and gold; in all their tribes there was not one that stumbled.
38   Egypt was glad of their going, because they were afraid of them.
39   He spread out a cloud for a covering and a fire to give light in the night season.
40   They asked, and quails appeared, and he satisfied them with bread from heaven.
41   He opened the rock, and water flowed, so the river ran in the dry places.
42   For God remembered his holy word and Abraham his servant.
43   So he led forth his people with gladness, his chosen with shouts of joy.
44   He gave his people the lands of the nations, and they took the fruit of others' toil,
45   That they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Hallelujah!

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Prayer of the Day

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer for Deliverance

Dear Lord, grant me, I beseech you, your divine helping grace. Endow me with patience and strength to endure my tribulations with complete submission to your will. You know my misery and suffering. I flee to you, my only hope and refuge, for relief and comfort, trusting to your infinite love and compassion; that in due time, you will deliver me from all the trials of this life and turn my distress into comfort. I rejoice in your mercy. I exalt and praise your holy name, oh Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: now and forever. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Simple Gifts

Judy Collins

Alleluia! Christ has risen.
Christ has risen indeed. Alleluia!

Closing Prayer

Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted me as a living member of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have blessed me with the grace of forgiveness through the sacrifice He made for me and for all people. Send me now into the world in peace, and grant me strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.

Prayer of the Day for THURSDAY, August 17, 2017

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Verse of the Day for THURSDAY, August 17, 2017

2 Corinthians 10:17-18 (NIV) But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

Read all of 2 Corinthians 10

Listen to 2 Corinthians 10 

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Morning Devotions with Cap'n Kenny - Wings Like Eagles

But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

~ Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

We want things done in our own time; but when we realize that God loves us and that we are important to Him, we can know that He requires patience. God's timing is better than ours. He always answers prayers. He might say “yes”; He might say “no.” (And, according to Jimmy Carter, He might say “You've got to be kidding.”) But very often, His response is “yes, but not now.” If we recognize how important we are to God, we will realize that what He is actually telling us is “Yes, but I love you too much to give you your prayer prematurely.”

Sometimes I think that God delays answering prayers simply because He wants us to learn, for our own good, to depend upon him. In Hebrew (ruach) and Greek (pneuma), the word for wind and the word for spirit are the same. And thus, when Isaiah wrote that we shall mount up with wings like eagles, there is some wordplay going on. God's spirit is to us like the wind is to the great soaring birds. They do not even have to flap their wings to rise higher and higher.

Usually when we read in Scripture about a great victory by one of the saints, or Christ Himself, the event is the culmination of a long period. God works on a long clock. He took 1500 years to train the Hebrews for the coming of Christ, and the church age has been going on for 2000 years.

We have to learn to wait upon God. We have faith in Him, so we can trust His timing to be correct. Impatience is an attribute of children, and God seems to be waiting for some sort of maturity to be reached over a period of time before Christ comes again. So the word for the day: Be patient. All good things will come to us, when the time is right.

Lord God, give me patience in all things; teach me to trust you completely, including the timing of all things to come. Amen.

In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny


Seeking God?
Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV® Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Devotion by Mason Barge.
We want things done in our own time;

Un Dia a la Vez - Regalos de nuestro Dios

Los ojos del Señor están sobre los justos, y sus oídos, atentos a sus oraciones.

~ Salmo 34:15 (NVI)

Para los que me conocen, saben que muy a menudo utilizo este lema: «Déjate sorprender. Dios nos consiente. Dios nos da regalos porque nos ama. Está interesado en vernos felices».

Todos los días lo compruebo en mi vida. No se trata de que Dios lo haga por capricho, sino porque es el único que conoce en realidad tus gustos, tus deseos, tu corazón. Como Padre, desea nuestro bienestar. Es tan especial que nos deja boquiabiertos, con detalles que quizá solo habías soñado tú.

Hace tan solo unos meses, Él me volvió a sorprender y me dio un regalo tan hermoso que ha sido inspiración para este libro que hoy disfruto contigo.

Me dio el privilegio de unirme a un viaje misionero al Perú para visitar exactamente un área llamada Callao y llevar muchas cosas que hacen falta allí, pero sobre todo poder ver y palpar la necesidad de un pueblo. No hay nada más gratificante que lo que predicamos o aprendemos lo pongamos por obra.

No te desanimes, Él no te dejará sin sueños que cumplir. Todo será en su momento. El primer regalo ya lo tenemos y es la vida eterna.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón

Standing Strong Through the Storm - IDENTIFYING WITH CHRISTIAN PRISONERS

Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

~ Hebrews 13:3 (NIV)

The letter to the Hebrews was written to first century Jewish believers in Jesus who were being persecuted. Some were so discouraged they were considering returning to Judaism. The writer encourages them to persevere because of the superiority of Jesus over everything and everyone else. And He will return to establish the ultimate kingdom.

Chapter 13 begins the author’s final instructions. First we are to continue (repeated action) loving one another as brothers and sisters. This love is to be practical and reach out even to strangers who we are to entertain as we may not realize when one might be an angel. Then in our verse for today, our love is to extend to those who are in prison for their faith, even to the point of assuming we are in there with them. That makes a huge difference as to how we show practical love.

Russian Christian prisoner, Aleksandr Ogorodnikov, shares, “One night I was thrown into a cell with a broken window. The KGB was determined to do an experiment and freeze me. Later they would say, ‘He broke the window in his cell and died of cold.’ I felt despair. I thought to myself, ‘Has God really left me? Am I really forgotten and neglected? Have my years of suffering been in vain?’

“And in my despair I began to pray. I usually pray silently, but this time I started to appeal to God out loud. ‘God, have You left me?’ My cries were bursting from a heart literally in utter despair.

“And right then, I suddenly felt palpable, physical warmth. Not the kind that comes from a heater, but like when a mother draws her freezing child to her breast, and warms him with her tearful breath of compassion. It was a very living, human warmth. It penetrates you, as if piercing you to the heart. And inside your heart a spring opens up, out of which flows peace—a wonderful, magnificent, soothing peace.

“I felt a very loving, brotherly touch—someone’s caring hand touching my shoulder. I actually felt it. In the morning, it was a shock to my executioners. They couldn’t understand. I wasn’t simply alive, but my temperature was the same as that of a normal person. I heard a doctor explaining to my executioners in the corridor, ‘This is impossible! We can’t explain it.’

“It so happened that many people began praying for me. And that was exactly when they released me.”

RESPONSE: I will continue to remember my brothers and sisters around the world who are in prison for their faith.

PRAYER: Lord, give the sense and touch of Your presence to those suffering for You in prison today.

NIV Devotions for Men - Mighty Warriors

1 Samuel 17:1–58
Recommended Reading: Judges 3:7–31; Philippians 4:13; Colossians 3:23–25

The List of David’s mighty warriors in 1 Chronicles 11:22 introduces us to Benaiah, whose exploits included overcoming two of Moab’s best men. He also killed a lion in a snowy, slippery pit. Perhaps most amazingly, he took on an Egyptian tall enough to be a starting center for the Chicago Bulls. This seven-and-a-half-foot giant wielded a spear with a shaft as sturdy as a lead pipe while Benaiah had only a wooden club.

Even so … Benaiah “snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada … He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty” (1 Chronicles 11:23–25).

It was not a Ph.D. degree that brought honor to a person in those days. Honor did not necessarily flow to the person with money or leverage or media access. Honor came as a result of doing exploits for the king.

Who is doing exploits for God today? Where is the enemy being driven back? That is the great yearning of all spiritually minded people. They are not enchanted with polished sermons and slick organizational technique. Where are the mighty men and women anointed by God to truly make a difference?

What is it really that stops us from becoming mighty warriors in the Lord? God has not changed. He is still superior to anything the enemy can throw against us.

No personal or church situation is too hopeless for the all-sufficient power of the Holy Spirit. God will be no more eager to act tomorrow than he is right now. He is waiting for us to take his promises seriously and go boldly to the throne of grace. He wants us to meet the enemy at the very point of attack, standing against him in the name of Christ. When we do so, God will back us up with all the resources of heaven.

—Jim Cymbala

To Take Away

• What keeps people from stepping out in faith for the Lord and the cause of Christ?
• Do you trust that God is superior to anything the enemy might bring against you? How does this assurance manifest itself in your life?
• What would it take for you to trust God’s promises more fully and thereby become a “mighty warrior in the Lord”?

Girlfriends in God - August 17, 2017

Rejected by Man, Chosen by God

Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth

“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world”.

~ John 15:19 (NIV)

Friend to Friend

Have you ever felt that you were overlooked or ignored … like you were a nobody? Well, take heart girlfriend. You are not alone.

In the Bible, we read the story of when the prophet Samuel went to anoint the next king of Israel. By God’s instruction, Samuel traveled to Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse. He knew where to go and what family the king would come from. He knew the next king would be one of Jesse’s sons … he just didn’t know which son.

Samuel arrived in Bethlehem and asked Jesse to bring all of his sons out for his inspection. Jesse brought out each of his seven sons, one-by-one. As Samuel prayerfully approached each young man, God said, “No, that is not the one…No, that is not the one…No, that is not the one.” Seven times God refused Jesse’s sons. Finally, exasperated and confused, Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“Oh yeah, I do have one more son,” Jesse said. “I almost forgot all about him. Little David is out taking care of the sheep. I’ll send someone to get him.”

David was so insignificant to his own father, that when the prophet requested an audience with all of his boys, the dad didn’t even think to invite him. However, David was the very one God had selected to be the next ruler of His chosen people. How exciting!

You may have felt overlooked, disregarded, and ignored by man, but make no mistake about it, you are chosen by God!

Ponder these verses…

• “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12 NIV).

• “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:11,12 NIV).

• “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33 NIV).

Let’s Pray

Dear Father, thank You that I am chosen and dearly loved. While there have been many times I was not chosen, I rejoice that You chose me! Help me to be an encourager to others who may feel neglected or discarded by others.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

When was a time you felt rejected?

The Bible says that we have a High Priest, Jesus, who has felt all the pain and suffering just as we have. How was Jesus rejected?

At the same time, how was Jesus chosen by God?

Consider writing down the verses in today’s devotion and post them somewhere you can see them often.

More from the Girlfriends

Do you know your true identity in Christ? Do you see yourself as God sees you? I’ve created a 5.5 x 4.25 laminated card filled front and back with Scripture about who you are in Christ. Speak the truth to yourself daily! Check it out on my website at www.sharonjaynes.com. I bet you know someone who needs to be reminded of these truths too.

Seeking God?

Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal

relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God

P.O. Box 725, Matthews, NC 28106

info@girlfriendsingod.com

www.girlfriendsingod.com