Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: devotional

Into A Pit

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

Into A Pit

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit.
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭37:23-24‬a

No Way Out

Joseph was a victim of circumstances.  He told his family about the dreams he had of them all bowing down before him.  His brothers were jealous and his father showed him favoritism by giving him a special colorful robe to wear. He was eleventh in line of inheritance but the first son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel.  No doubt Joseph was hated by his brothers and getting rid of him was their choice of action.  Instead of killing him they all agreed to throw him into a waterless pit.  He didn’t stay in the pit long though before he was sold to a passing caravan of Ishmaelites and then sold into Egyptian slavery.

God had a special plan and purpose for Joseph.  He was treated harshly for simply sharing about the dreams he was given. Sometimes we find ourselves in a pit just like Joseph.  We simply mind our own business and evil things happen to us while we don’t deserve them. This is the reality of life.  As we live in an evil world, evil things will happen to good people.  The most important thing we can do is keep our head up and our minds on Christ.  Even though we cannot control some of our circumstances, we can control our attitude and behavior.  We can keep shining the light of Jesus as we suffer so others will see Jesus in us.

God might have you in pit right now for a reason.  If you find yourself in a bad situation make sure to make the best of the situation by keeping a positive attitude and pointing others to Christ.

Prayer

Lord, I pray my life will be an example for others to see who You are and to show Your glory and grace.

Daily Devotional

Call Upon Me

Faith, Trust

Call Upon Me

And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.
Psalm 50:15

A Right Way of Thinking

The theme of Psalm 50 specifically deals with our view of God and how a wrong view of God can lead to a wrong way of thinking.  It primary deals with our giving to God, financially.

The scene is portrayed in a courtroom where God is the judge and He gathers the faithful ones to the stand (vs. 5).  It’s as if God’s people are the defendants on trial.  The people were giving but foolishly thought God needed their sacrifices and it insulted Him (vs. 8).  God reminded them that He didn’t need anything because He owns everything (vs 9-13).

Three things are listed in verses 14-15 that will establish a right way of thinking.  First, every gift (tithe and offering) must be offered up to God with a heart of thanksgiving. Everything belongs to God and He gives to everyone liberally.  It shouldn’t be an issue to give back to God a portion of what He has given to us.  Second, vows are to be paid to the Most High as a way of keeping our promises made to Him. An example might be, “God if you will let me out of this speeding ticket, I will give $100 to someone in need.”  Paying a vow expresses knowledge that God fulfilled His obligation. Third, call upon the Lord in the day of trouble.  We need to acknowledge that He is in control of all things.  He will delivers us and we praise His great name.

Give with gratitude, keep your promises, and call out to God for help.  These things please the Lord and gives Him glory.

Prayer

Pray and glorify God for His amazing grace!

They Glorified God

Encouragement, Trust

They Glorified God

Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭7:16‬

Touching People

In Luke 7:11-17 Jesus stops a funeral procession when He saw a widowed woman who was just moments away from laying her only son to rest. This woman had lost her husband and now has lost all hope of any future because her only son has died. But Jesus saw her and had compassion for her. He touched the casket and told the dead man to get up. Immediately the man sat up and began speaking. The large crowd was amazed at what they saw but most importantly verse 16 says they glorified God because they knew Jesus was God.

This passage of Scripture gives us a perfect a portrait of how a church is to minister to people.

We must realize that the church is who represents Jesus in today’s society. We must do as Jesus did and see the needs of others and reach out and touch them with compassion and love. When the lost are touched with the love of Jesus, they come alive, spiritually. A church will glorify God when they are on mission and ministering to His people. We can’t miss any opportunities of serving people because we lose focus of the mission.

An encouraged church congregation is required to fulfill its mission. A discouraged church is not effective. Every church needs faithful members using their God-given gifts. Members who are not using their gifts are wasting them. Compassion brings people together and to the cross of Jesus. If a church is not loving people it’s not a real church.

Prayer

Pray and ask God how you can be the hands and feet of Jesus.