Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: daily devotional

God Has No Limits

Encouragement

‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ‘
Ephesians 3:20

Paul’s desire is that we fully understand the riches of God’s grace and love. We may never know the entirety of God’s goodness until we get to Heaven. Paul wants us to grasp that God is able to do things that we cannot even imagine.

God only wants what is good for us. However we must trust that God is able to do things in our life that is supernatural and miraculous. God is all-powerful and all-knowing!

Paul uses a unique word to describe God’s greatness in power. Some translations of the term include “immeasurable”, “above and beyond”, and “infinitely more.” Ultimately there is no limit as to what God is able to do for us.

When was that last time you were blown away by an answered prayer? Did God not prove His love for you in giving you more than you asked for?

One might argue that the reason we don’t witness great and awesome things of God is because of our lack of faith and disbelief. God wants us to trust in Him for all things.

Jesus revealed to men what God is able to do if only we place our faith in Him. Only a few followers witnessed the glory of God through His Son. God wants to show us what He is able to do in our lives.

Take a little time today to experience God’s goodness. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Ask God to reveal some supernatural things to you.

Pray

Lord, You are completely amazing. Words cannot even describe what You are able to do. You do it all because You love me and want what is good for me. Thank You, Lord!

Honor And Glory To God

Encouragement, Trust

“Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”
Psalm 29:2

Psalm 29 uses the name “The LORD” (Yahweh) 18 times in 11 verses. It’s a holy and reverent name referenced to God. There is and has always been a great emphasis on the name of the LORD.

Words cannot completely describe or explain His majesty, power, and grace. His name is above all names. And His name is to be treated with reverence and never in vain.

We also reference the LORD as “Jehovah” taken from the four letters Y H V H. The Jews would never speak this name because it is so holy. 

Today we often hear someone saying the Lord’s name in vain or using it to swear by. We must always lift up the name of the Lord as a holy name. As verse 2 commands, we are to give glory to His name.

To give glory means to praise and honor. It means to worship or bow down before. When we worship and glorify the name of the LORD we recognize His character and nature. The idea of this Psalm is that man should bow in humble adoration of the greatness, beauty, and holiness of the LORD. 

The frightening takeaway from this devotional is that we don’t worship and glorify God as He deserves. We don’t give Him the worth that is due Him. We don’t give Him the glory that is to be given. If only we would worship Him like all of Heaven worships Him as we read in Revelation chapters 4&5.

This Psalm of David is a reminder for us to get our worship on. It’s time for us to give what is owed to the One and True God. We do so by praising His great name. We sing to Him. We pray to Him. And most importantly we serve Him.

Pray

Lord, You alone are deserving of praise and glory. Help me to remove myself from getting in the way of Your great works. Help me to share Your amazing grace to those who need it. 

Immediate Action

Faith, Trust

But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8:22‬

There is a story about a certain tribe in Africa that elected a new king every seven years.  The king would reign for seven years being treated with the highest honor and given every luxury.  The king had absolute authority even to administer power of life and death over members of the tribe.  

The only catch was at the end of the seven years a new king was chosen and the old king was killed.  This practice went on for years and every tribe member knew the provision and there was never a shortage of men wanting the position.  They were willing to forfeit their lives in order to enjoy seven years of luxury and power.

Jesus encountered a disciple who wanted to follow Him but needed to go home and take care of some business first.  Regardless of the situation, Jesus commanded an immediate response and obedience.  Jesus knew the heart of this man and what was happening in his personal life.  

Jesus is not saying that we are to neglect our families and friends but instead He is prompting immediate action.  Either this man was being greedy and waiting for his part of the inheritance or this man valued his family more than Christ.  Regardless, Jesus instructed the disciple to follow Him right then.

Many of us have excuses of why we can’t serve the Lord to the fullest right now.  We may only get one opportunity for certain tasks and if we don’t immediately obey we will miss out on a great blessing.  The Lord wants us to be available to be used by Him on His timing.  Don’t get caught up in the luxury and power of this world only to miss an opportunity to serve the Lord.

Pray

Lord, You have my heart and soul.  Show me where I need to be in complete obedience to your plans for my life.