Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 4
Focus Verse: 1 Peter 4:14
"If you are reproached for the name of Christ, Blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rest upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified."
Throughout history many Christians have been persecuted for their faith. Today we still hear of Christians mistreated in places like Sudan and China. God gives a special grace and courage during these times. These people are unwilling to renounce Jesus, and unwilling to deny the One who has changed their lives. Some would say "what a tragedy that a person had to die for their faith." In reality we are all going to die one day. What an honor to die for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I would much rather die that way, than to die living for myself. Those that have died for their faith not only knew how to live well, but knew how to die well. Jesus said in Matthew 10:28 "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Jesus' disciples understood this, because many of them were killed for their faith.
You may not be sure if you could face persecution like that. But if God allowed you to be put in that situation, then he would give you the strength to endure it. As Christians we know that this earth is not our home. Jesus is preparing us a home where we will live forever. Not just any home, but a perfect home in heaven. As children of God we have much to look forward to. I hope that you can say that you are living well, and also some day you will die well.
Bobby Johnson
Friday, March 30, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
My Determined Purpose
Scripture Reading: Romans 12
Focus Verses: Romans 12: 1-2 "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
This past February we saw 78 people come to faith in Christ during a trip to Kenya. We praise the Lord for that. The world is a very dark place and seems to be going from bad to worse. I think Satan knows that his days are numbered, and he is doing everything he can to keep God's Kingdom from growing. I believe there is only one way to live the Christian life during these times, and that is to be 100% sold out for Jesus, no turning back. There are to many people living a half-way Christian life. I was that way for 11 years after I got saved. I took my faith for granted. Then God showed me what I had been doing. I committed my life to Him 100%.
If you are living the Christian life half-way, please don't tell anyone that you are a Christian. You heard me right, "please don't tell anyone you're a Christian". Because if you call yourself a Christian and live like the world, then unsaved people will look at you and wonder why they would need Salvation. There is no difference between you and the world.
The apostle Paul said that his determined purpose is to know Christ (see Philippians 3:10-14). What is your determined purpose in life? When you get up in the morning, what do you live for? I know you may have your job to provide for your family, you may go to school, or you may take care of your children all day. But you can do all those things with a Christlike attitude, and live in such a way that people will see Christ in you. The only Jesus that most people in this world will ever see is the Jesus that is lived out in our lives. Can you say with Paul, "My determined purpose in life is to know Him"? I hope so. Think of how God used Paul: many people were saved, many churches were started, he wrote a lot of the New Testament that we hold as the very inspired Word of God. Yet Paul realized he had so much more to learn. It's hard to believe that Paul had the same struggles and temptations that we face, but he did. Therefore, how much more should we be saying "I want to be more like Christ this year." Read Romans 12 again. Paul gives us some good advice on how to be more like Christ. As we seek to know Him, we will be transformed. (changed)
Let it be our goal to have someone look at our life and say "if that's a Christian, then I want to follow Christ too."
~Bobby Johnson
Focus Verses: Romans 12: 1-2 "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
This past February we saw 78 people come to faith in Christ during a trip to Kenya. We praise the Lord for that. The world is a very dark place and seems to be going from bad to worse. I think Satan knows that his days are numbered, and he is doing everything he can to keep God's Kingdom from growing. I believe there is only one way to live the Christian life during these times, and that is to be 100% sold out for Jesus, no turning back. There are to many people living a half-way Christian life. I was that way for 11 years after I got saved. I took my faith for granted. Then God showed me what I had been doing. I committed my life to Him 100%.
If you are living the Christian life half-way, please don't tell anyone that you are a Christian. You heard me right, "please don't tell anyone you're a Christian". Because if you call yourself a Christian and live like the world, then unsaved people will look at you and wonder why they would need Salvation. There is no difference between you and the world.
The apostle Paul said that his determined purpose is to know Christ (see Philippians 3:10-14). What is your determined purpose in life? When you get up in the morning, what do you live for? I know you may have your job to provide for your family, you may go to school, or you may take care of your children all day. But you can do all those things with a Christlike attitude, and live in such a way that people will see Christ in you. The only Jesus that most people in this world will ever see is the Jesus that is lived out in our lives. Can you say with Paul, "My determined purpose in life is to know Him"? I hope so. Think of how God used Paul: many people were saved, many churches were started, he wrote a lot of the New Testament that we hold as the very inspired Word of God. Yet Paul realized he had so much more to learn. It's hard to believe that Paul had the same struggles and temptations that we face, but he did. Therefore, how much more should we be saying "I want to be more like Christ this year." Read Romans 12 again. Paul gives us some good advice on how to be more like Christ. As we seek to know Him, we will be transformed. (changed)
Let it be our goal to have someone look at our life and say "if that's a Christian, then I want to follow Christ too."
~Bobby Johnson
Friday, March 16, 2012
We Are Jesus Representative
Scripture Reading: John 15
Focus Verse: John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you, A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
It's hard for some new believers in Jesus to understand why their friends and family turn against them when they accept Jesus. People they have been close to suddenly turn against them simple because they have decided to trust Jesus. In our focus verse Jesus said we will be persecuted for our faith. The world is against God, and against Jesus. Remember when Saul, later to become the apostle Paul was persecuting Christians? Then one day he met Jesus. Jesus said "Saul, Saul why are you persecuting Me? Acts 9:4. Saul thought his fight was with the Christians. But it wasn't it was with Christ Himself.
People will persecute you because you are God's representative. Sometimes I talk with people and when they find out I'm a Christian they begin to tell me all these things they have against God. That's because I'm God's representative, just as all Christians are. It's a great honor to be God's representative. But with that honor comes a great responsibility. We should be careful how we are living our lives. People are watching how we live. We want to represent Christ well. If you are attacked, persecuted, or criticized for being a Christian consider it a great honor. If we are not being persecuted for Christ sake, then we may not be making a difference for His Kingdom.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Keep Growing
Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 2
Focus Verse: 2 Timothy 2:15 "Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth."
Every believer is going to face troubles in this life. These difficulties will not go away until we get to heaven. God uses these hard times in our lives to grow our faith. I have noticed in my own life that during times of difficulties I pray and read my Bible a lot more. The Christian life is about constant growth, learning, and transformation. When we got saved that was immediate, but becoming more like Jesus takes a lifetime. I don't have anything better in which to invest my life than that. Do you?
Some people say, "Oh, I tried the Christian life, and it didn't work for me." First, I wonder about their conversion. Did they truly repent? Then my question to them is, "Did they do their part?"
There are many things the Bible tells us we should do as a result of truly being saved. For example, did they begin to study and memorize Scripture? The Bible says that we should hide God's word in our hearts. (Psalm 119:11) Did they meet regularly with believers as a church? Did they turn from all known sin in their lives? Did they follow Jesus teachings for living a Godly life? The Bible says, "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:6). New Christians or old, the way we face obstacles is to keep moving forward and to keep on growing. Even if you fall, you can get back up and move forward.
God will examine what kind of servant we have been for Him. We should build our lives on His Word and build His Word into our lives. The Bible alone tells us how to live for Him and to serve Him. Christians who ignore the Bible will be ashamed at the judgment. Constant study of God's Word is most important in our lives. Otherwise neglecting God and the Bible will cause us to loose our true purpose for living.
“For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 1:9 NLT
Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
www.interlockingministries.org
Focus Verse: 2 Timothy 2:15 "Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth."
Every believer is going to face troubles in this life. These difficulties will not go away until we get to heaven. God uses these hard times in our lives to grow our faith. I have noticed in my own life that during times of difficulties I pray and read my Bible a lot more. The Christian life is about constant growth, learning, and transformation. When we got saved that was immediate, but becoming more like Jesus takes a lifetime. I don't have anything better in which to invest my life than that. Do you?
Some people say, "Oh, I tried the Christian life, and it didn't work for me." First, I wonder about their conversion. Did they truly repent? Then my question to them is, "Did they do their part?"
There are many things the Bible tells us we should do as a result of truly being saved. For example, did they begin to study and memorize Scripture? The Bible says that we should hide God's word in our hearts. (Psalm 119:11) Did they meet regularly with believers as a church? Did they turn from all known sin in their lives? Did they follow Jesus teachings for living a Godly life? The Bible says, "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:6). New Christians or old, the way we face obstacles is to keep moving forward and to keep on growing. Even if you fall, you can get back up and move forward.
God will examine what kind of servant we have been for Him. We should build our lives on His Word and build His Word into our lives. The Bible alone tells us how to live for Him and to serve Him. Christians who ignore the Bible will be ashamed at the judgment. Constant study of God's Word is most important in our lives. Otherwise neglecting God and the Bible will cause us to loose our true purpose for living.
“For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 1:9 NLT
Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
www.interlockingministries.org
Friday, March 2, 2012
Rooting Out Evil
Bible Reading: (click to view in web browser)
Jeremiah 18: 1-10
Focus verse: "I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you. " Psalm 119:11
God gives Jeremiah an example. He says that we are like the clay that the potter uses to make bowls and other things. The part of these verses I want you to focus on is the beginning of verse ten. God is giving another example. He is talking about a nation and what He would do to the people who are doing evil.
God says that evil in His sight is disobeying His voice.
When we hear the word evil, that is not what most people think. Evil is not just murder or adultery or major sins. Evil is disobeying God's voice.
So how do we hear God's voice? Through His Word - the Bible. The way to know God's voice is to read His Word. Daily. It is important to hear pastors speak from God's Word, but always read it for yourself too.
Psalm 119:11 speaks of hiding God's Word in our hearts, so as not to sin against Him. Hiding His Word, remembering it. Then we will know His voice and obey - and not do evil.
~written by Amy Warr
*Some of you remember Amy Warr. She came to Mfangano a few years ago. She provided this devotion for you. If we belong to Christ, we do not need to follow evil any more. It is the choice that we must make EACH day.
Jeremiah 18: 1-10
Focus verse: "I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you. " Psalm 119:11
God gives Jeremiah an example. He says that we are like the clay that the potter uses to make bowls and other things. The part of these verses I want you to focus on is the beginning of verse ten. God is giving another example. He is talking about a nation and what He would do to the people who are doing evil.
God says that evil in His sight is disobeying His voice.
When we hear the word evil, that is not what most people think. Evil is not just murder or adultery or major sins. Evil is disobeying God's voice.
So how do we hear God's voice? Through His Word - the Bible. The way to know God's voice is to read His Word. Daily. It is important to hear pastors speak from God's Word, but always read it for yourself too.
Psalm 119:11 speaks of hiding God's Word in our hearts, so as not to sin against Him. Hiding His Word, remembering it. Then we will know His voice and obey - and not do evil.
~written by Amy Warr
*Some of you remember Amy Warr. She came to Mfangano a few years ago. She provided this devotion for you. If we belong to Christ, we do not need to follow evil any more. It is the choice that we must make EACH day.
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