Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: daily devotional

Closer To Jesus

Encouragement

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:5‬

Can you say you’re serious about following Jesus? Many people make a decision to place their faith in Jesus for salvation but few make a serious commitment to follow Jesus closely. 

Jesus doesn’t require you to follow him, it’s your choice. But when we whole heartily follow Jesus, we are part of the vine and we bear good fruit. People don’t have to wonder if you are a Christian because you reflect the light of Jesus Christ. 

Sometimes our words and actions do not reflect the life Jesus expects from his followers. This happens when we don’t put Jesus first. When we don’t take our walk with Jesus serious we allow the devil to step in. There’s no place for the devil when you’re filled with the Spirit. If you’re filled with the Spirit, where can the devil go? He has no place.

What’s keeping you from truly following Jesus? Make a commitment today to take your relationship with Jesus a priority. The first step is repentance. You must confess your sins. The next step is to yield. You can start by asking Jesus to guide and direct you today. I promise you will see a difference. It’s simple but not easy. You have to take the first step. 

Pray

Lord, I don’t want to just know of you. I want to be close to you. I want to feel you near me. Help me to remove anything that is keeping me from being a true follower. 

You Have Made Me Glad

Encouragement

For You, Lord , have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands.
Psalms 92:4

The New Living Translation says, “You thrill me, Lord, with all You have done for me!” The psalmist unashamedly proclaimed how God’s wonderful works made him glad. God delights in making us glad.

What has God done for you recently? It doesn’t take long to collectively inventory the blessings that God has graciously given to us. Sometimes we just need to pause for a minute and reflect on all that the Lord has done for us. 

It’s easy to get caught up in the negativity of the world and only ponder the bad things that are happening around us. So just stop what you are doing and think about the good that God has done and watch how He makes you glad.

With gratitude and thankfulness we praise the Lord. God gets all the honor and glory. This is what delights the heart of God. God is glorified when we “triumph in the works of His hands.” Those who are thrilled by God have a vibrant sense of joy. They easily sing unto the Lord.

Don’t ever be ashamed to speak up and speak out for the wonderful things that God has done. We need to hear more testimonies of how God is working and moving in the lives of His people. We need to hear about the good things that God is doing and how He is working all things out. 

Pray

Lord, You thrill me everyday. Every breath I take and every moment I live is for your glory. Use me today to make a difference in someone’s life.

Spiritual Leadership

Encouragement

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
1 Peter 5:2-3

Do you know what our society needs today? We need more Christian leaders. We need men and women alike that have a heart like Jesus to step up and lead in a spiritual capacity. Our world is in desperate need of leaders that will care for the spiritual and physical needs of others. 

Peter knew the importance of being an example for Christ. Jesus told Peter to feed and tend to His sheep. Most importantly, Peter was to have a heart like Jesus, a willingness to give up his own life for the sake of others and to care and nurture to the needs of others. That is the characteristic of a spiritual leader.

Peter seemed to remember what Jesus told him to do in John 21:15-17. Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. And each time Peter responded yes. Jesus was giving him an opportunity to recover from denying Him. But also Jesus was teaching an important lesson that people need to be led spiritually and it takes a living heart to do it.

Peter says in our Scripture verses for today, “Be examples”. Be an example to your friends, coworkers, family members, or to your church. Good leaders lead out of example. How good of an example are you setting for others today? Be an example of Christ and for Christ.

Pray

Lord, give me a heart like Yours. Help me to see and hear people like You see and hear them. Help me to live holy and righteous so that I can set an example to others.