Your Daily Crossroad
04
Nov '19
Guided By Conscience
04
Nov '19
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. (Romans 2:14-16)
Human beings are born with a marvelous gift from God—a conscience. Since its warnings can cause discomfort, you perhaps have never thought of it as a blessing. But the Lord had our benefit and protection in mind when He created this internal witness to our moral conduct. By listening to its promptings, we are guarded from making choices that could hurt us or others.
But can you rely on your conscience to offer guidance about all decisions? God made the conscience to act as an alarm system to warn and protect us from sin. However, many of our choices are not moral issues, so we need an even more reliable source for direction.
That’s why the Lord has provided believers with the Holy Spirit, who accurately leads us in any kind of decision we must make. He not only works through the conscience to make us aware of sin, but He also helps us choose between good and best. As we listen to His voice and heed His warnings, He purifies and sharpens our conscience so that it aligns more precisely with the Word and will of God.
One problem is that the conscience has the capacity to be shaped by our responses. When we repeatedly reject or ignore its promptings, we can damage its dependability, and then sins that should bother us might not even register. But heeding its warnings make it sharper and more sensitive, protecting us even more effectively. Knowing this, let’s ask for the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and discernment so we will heed the promptings of our conscience.
This devotion blessed me. What an incredible reminder. I pray it encourages you to ask as today’s devotion encourages, ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and discernment to heed the prompting of your conscience. Keep your mind stayed on Him.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 2 Corinthians 3:6
01
Nov '19
The Best Revenge
01
Nov '19
And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. (Genesis 50:18-20)
“Success is the best revenge.”
Maybe you’ve heard this saying a time or two. Long ago, my tender 13-year-old heart unwittingly latched onto it. A difficult move and change of schools had left me feeling lost and holding a backpack full of rejection.
So my youthful, wounded heart adopted a “performance mentality” in an effort to remedy the pain. I will prove myself through success. I will work hard and gain the approval of everyone. I will earn my way back by trying to be perfect.
The result? Years of exhaustion in the three-ring circus show called “something to prove.” Years of sprinting from one thing to the next, searching for the thing to set right all my past rejections.
But no amount of acceptance in my present soothed the rejection of my past. No achievement settled the score as I’d hoped. Still the enemy whispered in my ear: Not good enough.
I wonder if you too have worn the accusing labels of rejected and not good enough. Or maybe the enemy waves another insidious banner over you:
Inferior.
Unlovable.
Shameful.
Nothing to offer.
Like me, the sting of that label sent you on a subconscious journey to avenge the wrong done to you.
Maybe the bite of “unlovable” hurled you into the grueling task of people-pleasing. Maybe you fell short in the eyes of a parent and thus committed to proving yourself, no matter the cost. Or perhaps you lived a childhood where ends strained to meet each month, creating a false inferiority in your soul that you’ve tried to soothe with a big house or posh wardrobe.
But I’m guessing your efforts, like mine, have fallen impossibly short. Still a haunting emptiness in your soul remains and beckons you toward the next achievement to heal your hurt.
In Genesis, we read about Joseph, a man who experienced enough pain in his youth to last a lifetime. But after being enslaved and unjustly imprisoned for years, God led Joseph into a position of great power, authority and fame.
He even had the unique opportunity to lord his success over the very ones who started his painful journey — his own brothers. If success is the best revenge, then Joseph’s revenge came to him on a silver platter!
And yet, in today’s key verse, we see the heart of a man who pointed not to his achievements, but to God’s sovereign, redeeming hand:
“And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 50:18-20).
Joseph understood his healing didn’t arise from success, but rather from the redeeming work of God, flipping the script on the enemy’s treacherous plans. Joseph gave voice to the poignant truth that his enslavement ended up being the very thing that freed his community and family from famine and death.
Like Joseph, our aching souls can also cling to the truth that sometimes there is great purpose in our pain. We may never get back what’s been taken from us, but God is in the business of redeeming lost things.
Dear one, you don’t have to waste any more time spinning your wheels, grasping to obtain the next thing to make you whole. Nothing in your future can heal the wounds of your past. Only Jesus can do that.
The world may preach that success is the best revenge, but the truth for us, sweet sister? Redemption is the best revenge.
Today, may we set our gaze squarely on the God who transforms our pain from a fiery arrow meant to take us out into a blazing beacon of His goodness and provision.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being a God who redeems our pain. Draw our seeking hearts away from lesser things and straight into Your healing hands. Redeem what we’ve lost, that we might bring You glory and walk with joy into all the good things You have for us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
This blessed me. What truth! I pray you are also blessed in some way by this devotion. We all have a story, one that God knows everything about and He will redeem our pain when we seek Him first. Walk with joy today.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Ephesians 1:18
31
Oct '19
What To Do With Halloween?
31
Oct '19
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:15)
Halloween. It’s a time of year when the air gets crisper, the days get shorter, and for many young Americans, the excitement grows in anticipation of shouting, “Trick or Treat?”
Many Christians refuse to participate in Halloween. Some are wary of its pagan origins, others of its dark, ghoulish imagery; some are concerned for the safety of their children. Still other Christians choose to partake of the festivities, whether participating in school activities, neighborhood trick-or-treating, or a Halloween alternative, such as Trunk or Treat at their church or another venue.
The name “Halloween” comes from the All Saints Day celebration of the early Christian church, a day set aside for the solemn remembrance of the martyrs. “All Hallows Eve,” the evening before All Saints Day, began the time of remembrance. “All Hallows Eve” was eventually contracted to “Hallow-e’en,” which became “Halloween.”
The question is, “How should Christians respond to Halloween? Is it irresponsible for parents to let their children trick-or-treat? What about Christians who refuse any kind of participation during the season; are they overreacting?”
Whatever level of Halloween participation you choose, remember that Halloween provides the Christian with the opportunity to show AND share the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s a message that is holy, set apart from the world; it’s a message that is the very mercy of a forgiving God. What better time of the year is there to share such a message than Halloween?
After I read this devotion I felt it was worth sharing for such a day. I pray after reading todays devotion I can leave you with this. Jesus Christ is Lord–and we celebrate HIM every day! However you choose to celebrate or not to celebrate, may HE be the honoring factor in every decision!
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 1 Peter 5:8-9
30
Oct '19
Writing About God
30
Oct '19
Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. (Jeremiah 30:2)
The Old Testament is a written record of God’s work in the lives of the Israelites. We are deeply indebted to the writers of the Bible—their records show us the great work that God has done for humanity. We can follow in the footsteps of the Biblical authors by journaling what God has done in our lives.
Journaling can be an amazing part of how you connect to God. Keep a record of how God moves in your life, and over time, you will see how intimately God is involved. Then, one day, you will read with awe the testimony God has written on the pages of your life.
What a simple but powerful devotion. I am always amazed at how God’s word has basic instructions to lead and guide every aspect of our lives. I remember a time in my life when I would journal a lot and I’ve looked back and seen just as today’s devotion says, I read with awe the testimony God has written on the pages of my life. I am going to start journaling again. I pray this devotion inspires you to take the time and start journaling what God has done in your life.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Ephesians 2:8-9