Pastor Stephen Dedman

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Meditate On It

Encouragement, Trust

Meditate On It

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:8‬

According To All That Is Written

Moses was dead and Joshua was the one chosen to lead the people of Israel.  He was chosen and appointed by God to lead the people into the Promise Land.  In Joshua Chapter 1 God had some specific words of encouragement and commitment for the new leader.  Even though Joshua was chosen by God he still had to gain the respect of the people and he did so by the grace fo God.

God’s message to Joshua was to be strong and courageous.  Three times in the first nine verses God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous.  He did so to let Joshua know that he was going to face some uncertain days ahead that will be determined by his faith and by his determination of moving forward with faithfulness.  It takes strength to be faithful when times get tough.  It takes courage to keep your faith when everything else seems to be collapsing.  But take note of the specific condition that God lays before Joshua.  He tells Joshua that as long as he meditates on the Law (the first five books of the Bible) then he would have great success and be prosperous in his ways.  The promise of God was conditional upon Joshua keeping his part.

This same promise is for us today.  We need to meditate upon the Scriptures of God and not let them leave our mouth nor our mind.  Meditating upon the Scripture allows our heart to be in alignment with the will of God.  When our heart and mind are right with God then our actions and our decisions will reflect the things of God.  That is how we can be assured that we will be blessed by God.

Prayer

Lord, allow me to know your Word by heart.  Help me to be rooted and sustained by your precepts.

Happy Thanksgiving

Encouragement, Trust

Happy Thanksgiving

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:20‬

Thankful

Thanksgiving means a variety of things to many people. For some it is a day of cooking and eating. For some it means a day of fun and fellowship. For some it involves traveling and visiting. But for most people, it means an expression of gratitude, especially towards God.  What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

We can express an attitude of thankfulness for many things.  Of course it is easy to do when things are going reasonably well. When the bills are paid, the family is healthy, and you have a roof over your head it is easy to praise God and give thanks. But when times are hard we tend to lose our attitude of thankfulness. In today’s verse, Paul clearly states to give thanks always and for everything, good and bad. The Apostle Paul set forth a great example of how to be thankful even when in bad times.

Regardless of your circumstances the Lord deserves honor and praise. Far too often we fail to give God what is due to Him. This is a great time to express our love and devotion towards God for His endless love and mercy. Once you begin to praise Him your attitude will change for the better and you will be a blessing to others who need to witness God’s great grace. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have much to be thankful for.

Prayer

Lord, I thank you for your love and grace that You have shown towards me.  I pray that I will be a blessing to others so they see You in me.

Daily Devotional

Under Grace

Faith, Trust

Under Grace

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:14‬ ‭

Dead To Sin

Have you ever considered why we all continue to sin even after we have been saved?  Just because we accept the free gift of salvation doesn’t mean we will never sin again. It just means that the work of Jesus Christ has paid the penalty of our sins. He has justified us before God and we are forgiven.

For an unbelieving person, sin dominates their life. They do not even realize they are sinning. They are a slave to sin and sin is their master.  But as a Believer you are a slave to righteousness. You have been set free from sin. That does not give us the right to go sin even more, it just gives us the attitude to sin less. Once we consider what Jesus did for us on the cross it will make us not want to sin. We will be more aware of our sins and we will make special effort not to sin. The Holy Spirit gives us power to overcome the sins that once dominated our life. Perhaps you noticed in your personal life that after you were saved you quit doing some of the sins you use to commit.

Christ makes us a new person from the inside out. He changes our heart first and then places a desire in our hearts to not want to sin. Sin is anything that does not glorify God. As Christ followers we live a life that is pleasing and accepting to Christ. We need to pay close attention to any sins that we commit on a regular basis.

Prayer

Lord, I confess my sins to you one by one. Thank you for forgiving me and giving me new life.