Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: daily devotional

Don’t Give Up

Faith

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Ephesians 6:13

We’ve all encountered times when we were ready to quit. The thought crossed our mind that it wasn’t worth it any longer. We wanted to throw in the towel and give up.

Well… Paul encourages us to not give up or give in. The question that we must ask is, “have we done all that we can do?” You may quickly respond with a shouting “YES!” I’ve done all I can do and nothing has changed.

The Bible says, “…and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore…” (Ephesians 6:13,14) Paul didn’t say turn and run. He didn’t say give up. He said when you’ve done all to stand – Stand! Just stand there!

Sometimes that’s just the thing to do. Just stand in place and wait for the Lord. Let the Lord come to your rescue.

God is waiting for you to say, “I can’t do it any longer” or “I don’t have the strength to carry on.” That is when submission happens and the Lord can step in and do His job and help us.

All He wants you to do is stand there and just keep your position. Don’t give up and don’t give in to the temptation to quit. Just stand there and be quiet.

Stop complaining and start praising. All we have to do is just believe.

Pray

Lord, I am Your servant and You are my Lord and Savior. I belong to You and You are my strength and comfort. In You I will trust. Give me what I need to keep going.

Attributes Of Jesus

Faith, Trust

David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.
‭‭Mark‬ ‭12:37‬

Jesus had a multitude of followers but they were not the educated or the sophisticated. They were common people who gladly listened to His words. They received His preaching and teaching because His words were relatable and understandable.

Jesus had three attributes that contributed to His messages. First, He had godly character. People will listen when they witness godly character. If you don’t display godly character in your life, people will not listen to your message or testimony.

Second, Jesus had holy conduct.  His conduct proved what He said was true and honest.  His conduct was without flaw.  Holy conduct proves what you believe.  His conduct reflected what He taught.

Third, Jesus had concern for others.  Because He was concerned for others salvation, people would give their attention to Him.  When you show people that you care for them, they will gladly hear what you have to say.

With these three attributes people gladly listened to Jesus when He spoke.  Do you exhibit these three attributes in your life? Make your voice be heard by living like Jesus.

Pray

Lord, let others see You through my actions.  Let my words prove that You are my Lord. Give me boldness to share the gospel with everyone I see.

Devoted To Scripture

Encouragement, Trust

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4:13‬

How important is the truth of God’s Word to you? Do you value the time in which you read and study the Bible? It must be important if you’re reading this devotional.

Keeping within the context of this verse, Paul is giving advice to Timothy on leading the church as a pastor.  Even though this is directed to Timothy as a minister, it can be beneficial for everyone.  As Christians, everyone is to be a spiritual leader of some sort.

Paul instructs Timothy to devote himself to the public reading, preaching and teaching of the Scriptures.  The Scriptures are to be the central focus of our life.  We can find true success in life if we devote ourselves to the Bible.  

The local church should be a place where people can hear the Word of God spoken accurately and plainly.  In Nehemiah 8, Ezra read from the Scriptures from early morning until midday.  As he opened the Book, the people stood and listened intently.

There is great power in hearing the Word of God.  Romans 10:17 says, “so faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Are you devoted to the Word of God?

Prayer

Lord, Your Word is my central focus today.  Give me passion for Your Word as I desire to hear it and obey it. Help me to meditate on it and speak it to others.