Pastor Stephen Dedman

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The Demonstration Of Love

Encouragement, Salvation

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

God wants to make Himself known to us. He shows and reveals Himself to us so that we shall know that we belong to Him alone. While He has never been seen by human eyes, His glory is revealed to us in various ways. He reveals Himself through the beauty of His creation. He will reveal Himself to us through people that He places in our lives. But most especially, God reveals Himself to us through His only Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus is Emmanuel! He is the loving, good Savior who came to earth. Emmanuel means, God is with us. Jesus is God in word and flesh.

From the Bible, we learn that we all sin (Romans 3:23). And the punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23) and eternal separation from God’s goodness. Because we sin, we cannot go to be with God in heaven on our own when we die. God loves us so much, and he provided a way to rescue us from our sins about 2,000 years ago.

God makes His presence be known among us through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the invisible truth of God that encourages and convicts us of our sin. Most importantly the work of the Holy Spirit is in bringing people to salvation. When God shows His love for us, He reveals His nature and character to us so that we may know Him personally.

Pray

Lord, I want to see Your glory. Let the power of the Holy Spirit give me wisdom to see You as a personal God who loves me and cares for me. Thank You for sending Jesus into my life.

Don’t Be Amazed

Encouragement

Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.
I John 3:13

I know that you may not realize it but as a Christian you are hated by the world. The world despises the righteousness of God. No wonder we witness so much hatred in the world.

Jesus said the world hated Him first. People try so hard to fit into this world that they are hated and rejected by. We must realize that our permanent home is not this earth and we should be seeking our citizenship in heaven.

It’s difficult trying to live in this world but not being accepted. In fact a Christian should feel uncomfortable in this world. If we ever become comfortable with the lifestyle of the world then something is wrong.

John writes to us to let us know that it is okay to be rejected and persecuted by the world. Because the world does not know God, the world does not know us. But according to Romans 12:1 we are to be in this world but not of it.

We should stand as sore thumbs in this world. People should be able to pick us out of a crowd and know that we belong to Jesus. We should talk like Jesus, act like Jesus and love like Jesus.

Today you may be tempted to be transformed to this world. Don’t get trapped! Know that you belong to God and He will give you everything you need. Don’t trust the world’s system.

Pray

A Different Perspective

Faith, Trust

“When the Philistine (Goliath) arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17:48‬

The story of David and Goliath is one of the greatest underdog stories of all time. It has motivated children and adults alike to face their biggest fears and claim victory over life’s toughest challenges.

David’s approach was so courageous that it seemed ridiculous to those who watched in awe. For 40 days the arrogant, loud mouth giant taunted the Israelites. The Israelites were scared to death. But once David heard what Goliath was doing he responded in faith.

David had a different perspective towards the problem. He had a God-perspective. While everyone was saying how big the giant was David was saying how small he was compared to God. Everyone was saying Goliath was too big to hit while David was saying he was too big to miss.

We all face challenges that test our courage and faith. How we respond depends on how we view God. When we respond to challenges with fear we are ultimately telling God He is not big enough or strong enough to take care of us. That’s not the right approach. Instead we need the courage like David had so we can face our fears with faith.

God wants to show us what He can do for us and through us. When we don’t give Him the chance to move in miraculous ways. We tend to down-size His majestic power and minimize His great blessings.

If you want to experience great victories, you’re going to have to place your faith and trust in God for all things and gain a God-size perspective for all your challenges.

Pray

Lord, give me courage to allow You to work in and through me. Show me what You are able to do. Thank You in advance for what You are going to do.