Abide In My Love

December 7, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Trust

Abide In My Love

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
‭‭John‬ ‭15:9‬

His Love Is Everlasting

There is no greater love than the love of Jesus. God’s love for the world is witnessed through the person of Jesus for the sole purpose that all people should be saved. His love is unconditional and unchanging. The promise of the Scripture tells us that there is nothing that can separate us from His love. (Romans 8:35)

As we read and study the Word of God, the message of His love is embedded through every book and every chapter. God wants us to know who much He loves and cares for each of us. During times of uncertainty and difficulty His love never fails. His great love is all we need to face everyday with hope and joy. Allow the Word of God to penetrate your heart and mind so that you discover His perfect will. Jesus says to “abide” or “remain” in His love.

Jesus desires that we never drift away from the truth of His love. It is easy to get distracted with all the things of the world and forget how much He loves us. No matter how busy we get or how famous we become we never need to forget His loving promises. Sometimes we stray away from His Word and we allow the things of this world to control our minds and hearts. But the only way to abide or remain in His love is to be in constant and consistent meditation of the Scriptures. His Word is living and powerful and we should never find a substitute for it. Your life depends on your devotion and allegiance to the Bible. Stay in His love and stay in His Word.

Prayer

Ask God to remove whatever is keeping you from reading and studying the Bible.

Greater And Greater

December 6, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Trust

Greater And Greater

And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭5:10‬

God Was With Him

David was a man after God’s own heart. David loved the Lord and God was with him to give him strength and wisdom. He was chosen by God to be king. As David’s kingdom grew the more people he was entrusted with. God’s power was revealed through David. Even though David held much power he was never more powerful than God. It was God who made him greater and greater.

David was a portrait of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. David knew God on a personal level. He was not what people would expect a king to look like. In the same way Jesus was not what the Jews expected. Jesus came as a humble servant for the poor. The Jews expected someone with power to bring peace and prosperity. Instead Jesus was meek and humble giving attention to those who were sick and sinful. Jesus came and most didn’t recognize that He was the Messiah.

God is not looking for strong, powerful men. He is looking for men who are able to be changed. God will take a small, uneducated man and make him greater and greater. God wants to show His glory through men who can give Him honor and show others how powerful God is. God desires for husbands and fathers to be the leader of their home. They are the shepherds, pastors, and spiritual leaders of their family. God will give strength and wisdom to the ones who are humbled and under God’s direction. Seek to be the one who God uses to reveal His glory to shine for those who need to see who He is.

Prayer

Lord, use me to shine Your glory and light into this dark, sinful world. Lord give us Christian homes to train up more Christian leaders.

Worthy Of The Gospel

December 4, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Faith, Trust

Worthy Of The Gospel

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:27‬

Living For Jesus

Paul lived a Christian life that was radically different from his life before knowing Jesus. Jesus made a difference in his life. After the road to Damascus experience, Paul was on mission to make sure people knew Jesus as Lord and Savior. It wasn’t just a job, it was his life.

As Christians we are to live worthy of the gospel of Christ. Christ did something that no one else could do. He paid the ultimate penalty for sin. If we really consider the cost involved we would desire to live for Christ with all of our capabilities. However, sometimes we tend to forget about the grace and compassion that was done on our behalf. We never need to forget what Jesus did for us. If we would always have Jesus on our mind we would always be productive in building the Kingdom of Heaven.

Paul sets the example of one of the greatest Christians who ever lived. He had his faults of course, but he sets and example of how we are to live our lives. We are to have the mind of Christ at all times. To have the mind of Christ is to have the Gospel in our hearts. Reading and hearing the Word of God should be the most important thing we do as Christians. We should never be too busy to read and meditate on His Word. Once we have the Word on our mind and in our hearts we can live a life that is worthy of the Gospel.

Prayer

Lord, I want to search you with all of my heart, mind and soul. Help me to dig into your Word with eagerness and passion.