Bible Reading: Matthew 13:10-23
Focus Verse: "But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s
Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for
only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means." 1 Corinthians 2:14
It may seem strange to us that Jesus would speak in parables. He reveals that there were those who would understand them and those who would not. Everyone has ears, but not everyone really listens. Everyone has eyes, but we don’t really see. It all depends on the condition of your heart. Are you reading this devotion in order to check it off your list or are you truly seeking to be further yielded to Jesus? The parable of the sower means that there are different ways to hear the word of God. First, you could hear the words and have absolutely no understanding of the meaning. Second, you hear it and understand and are glad, but you never apply it to your lives because you haven’t rooted yourself in Christ and are immature. Third, you could hear the Word and allow God to work it in to your life where the message would grow and produce a crop.
“The Word of God is like little bitty seeds, scattered all around. The Word of God is like little bitty seeds, scattered all around. Some in the road, some in the weeds, but everywhere you look you find little bitty seeds.” ~Dan Whittemore author of “Little Bitty Seeds”. Did you ever sing this? There is another verse to that song that says it better than I can. I will share it with you.
“I want the Word to grow in my heart
like seed on fertile ground
I want the Word to grow in my heart
like seed on fertile ground
Watered by the Spirit and touched by the sun
And living like I should until the harvest come
Now I want the Word to grow in my heart
like seed on fertile ground”
Will you have an attitude like that? Will you surrender your own selfish desires and allow God to create new soil out of your heart? God is the one who hardens or softens hearts, so you need to give it to Him and allow Him to do this for you, then you will have fertile soil for the Word of God. You will begin to then see fruit in your life. Be obedient to what he is pressing you to do.
~Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Friday, September 29, 2017
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Christ: the Ultimate Sacrifice
Bible Reading: Hebrews 9:23- 28
Focus Verse: "Christ also suffered once for sins. The one who did what is right suffered for those who don’t do right. He suffered to bring you to God. His body was put to death. But the Holy Spirit brought him back to life. "1 Peter 3:18 (NIRV)
I was doing first aid in the infirmary. Someone came with a cut on their forehead. They got blood on their shirt. After treating their cut, I offered to help them get the blood out of their shirt. I offered this because it is difficult to get blood out of clothing. There is a certain way to do it. If you use hot water or wait too long, it will become a permanent stain. You have to use cold water and soap. Hydrogen peroxide works really well too.
In my story, I wanted to clean the blood OUT of something, but in Hebrews, Paul is talking about cleaning and purifying something WITH blood. In the scripture today, we read that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. The law requires that nearly everything in the temple be cleansed with blood by the priest. It is the only way for sin to be removed and for items in the tabernacle to be made pure. God had a plan for sin to be defeated completely. The plan was the blood of Christ. Christ was pure and sinless. Christ became the ultimate sacrifice. He only needed to give Himself once and His blood was enough to take away the sins of many people.
Do you have the stain of sin in your life. Does sin have dominion (or control) over you. You can come to Jesus and allow Him to cleanse you today. Ask Him to forgive your sins, repent, and follow Him.
Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Focus Verse: "Christ also suffered once for sins. The one who did what is right suffered for those who don’t do right. He suffered to bring you to God. His body was put to death. But the Holy Spirit brought him back to life. "1 Peter 3:18 (NIRV)
I was doing first aid in the infirmary. Someone came with a cut on their forehead. They got blood on their shirt. After treating their cut, I offered to help them get the blood out of their shirt. I offered this because it is difficult to get blood out of clothing. There is a certain way to do it. If you use hot water or wait too long, it will become a permanent stain. You have to use cold water and soap. Hydrogen peroxide works really well too.
In my story, I wanted to clean the blood OUT of something, but in Hebrews, Paul is talking about cleaning and purifying something WITH blood. In the scripture today, we read that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. The law requires that nearly everything in the temple be cleansed with blood by the priest. It is the only way for sin to be removed and for items in the tabernacle to be made pure. God had a plan for sin to be defeated completely. The plan was the blood of Christ. Christ was pure and sinless. Christ became the ultimate sacrifice. He only needed to give Himself once and His blood was enough to take away the sins of many people.
Do you have the stain of sin in your life. Does sin have dominion (or control) over you. You can come to Jesus and allow Him to cleanse you today. Ask Him to forgive your sins, repent, and follow Him.
Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Friday, September 15, 2017
Perfect Peace
Bible Reading: Isaiah 26:1-6
Focus Verse: Job 23:10-11 "“But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside."
God will keep you in perfect peace if your mind is focused on Him and your trust is in Him. You can trust the Lord because his is the Rock that is secure. If you are discouraged or troubled, He promises that He will bring peace to your soul. We can know that because God promises it.
Recently I visited my aunt in the hospital. She is suffering greatly and has been struggling with her health for some time. I was thinking that maybe my visit would help her know that I cared and that I was praying for her. While I was there, I heard her say that she is holding on to Jesus. That was a powerful testimony. She was in poor condition and she knew that Jesus was her comfort and her peace.
We all go through times of trial and trouble. We all have moments where we are discouraged, hurt, or even feel trampled on. You might have trouble with some friends or even enemies. You might have difficulty dealing with some of your family members. During those times, don’t give up. Don’t be discouraged and defeated. I urge you to reach out to God. You can trust in Him. He will bring you peace. He is the rock that can’t be shaken.
~Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Focus Verse: Job 23:10-11 "“But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside."
God will keep you in perfect peace if your mind is focused on Him and your trust is in Him. You can trust the Lord because his is the Rock that is secure. If you are discouraged or troubled, He promises that He will bring peace to your soul. We can know that because God promises it.
Recently I visited my aunt in the hospital. She is suffering greatly and has been struggling with her health for some time. I was thinking that maybe my visit would help her know that I cared and that I was praying for her. While I was there, I heard her say that she is holding on to Jesus. That was a powerful testimony. She was in poor condition and she knew that Jesus was her comfort and her peace.
We all go through times of trial and trouble. We all have moments where we are discouraged, hurt, or even feel trampled on. You might have trouble with some friends or even enemies. You might have difficulty dealing with some of your family members. During those times, don’t give up. Don’t be discouraged and defeated. I urge you to reach out to God. You can trust in Him. He will bring you peace. He is the rock that can’t be shaken.
~Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Friday, September 8, 2017
No Need to Fear
Bible Reading: Psalm 27
Focus Verse: “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14 (NIV)
Chances are that you aren’t going to have wicked people coming to devour you or have a war break out against you like we read in the scriptures. You will, however, face some trouble in your life. You will need to find shelter in the Lord and allow him to hide you in His tent or set you high on a rock.
Years ago, I went for a walk on the beach with my five year old cousin, Shelly. We were enjoying looking at shells and digging our toes into the sand. Suddenly, a big black dog came over the dunes. He came toward us barking and showing his teeth. My little cousin was vulnerable because she was so small. I quickly asked her to climb on my back. I lifted her high out of danger. The dog kept coming and barking, threatening our casual walk. I prayed for the Lord’s protection as I began to walk past the barking, snarling dog. As I came closer, he began to growl and show his teeth. I kept walking, trying not to look at him directly. The next thing I know, I had past him and he stayed behind. That was a fearful moment.
Just like I did for my little cousin, the Lord can lift you up out of the danger. If you are walking with the Lord, you do not need to fear. He will bring you into His safe dwelling, hide you in the shelter of his tent and set you high upon a rock and you will learn the straight path that you should take. Verse 14 says, “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” There is no need to fear.
~Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Focus Verse: “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14 (NIV)
Chances are that you aren’t going to have wicked people coming to devour you or have a war break out against you like we read in the scriptures. You will, however, face some trouble in your life. You will need to find shelter in the Lord and allow him to hide you in His tent or set you high on a rock.
Years ago, I went for a walk on the beach with my five year old cousin, Shelly. We were enjoying looking at shells and digging our toes into the sand. Suddenly, a big black dog came over the dunes. He came toward us barking and showing his teeth. My little cousin was vulnerable because she was so small. I quickly asked her to climb on my back. I lifted her high out of danger. The dog kept coming and barking, threatening our casual walk. I prayed for the Lord’s protection as I began to walk past the barking, snarling dog. As I came closer, he began to growl and show his teeth. I kept walking, trying not to look at him directly. The next thing I know, I had past him and he stayed behind. That was a fearful moment.
Just like I did for my little cousin, the Lord can lift you up out of the danger. If you are walking with the Lord, you do not need to fear. He will bring you into His safe dwelling, hide you in the shelter of his tent and set you high upon a rock and you will learn the straight path that you should take. Verse 14 says, “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” There is no need to fear.
~Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Friday, September 1, 2017
God Joined. Don’t Separate.
God Joined. Don’t Separate.
Bible Reading: Matthew 19:1-12
Focus Verse: Hebrews 3:8 "Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness."
Jesus had just finished teaching about how to handle a brother’s sin against you and how much we should forgive. I don’t think it’s an accident that that is covered just before marriage. Forgiveness is needed regularly in any marriage based on our nature to sin. The Pharisees came to test him and asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” Jesus replied that from the beginning, God created them male and female to be united as one. God joins them together and man should not separate. There was a concession given by Moses for marital unfaithfulness, but only because of the hardness of their hearts. He said it wasn’t that way in the beginning. Jesus went so far as to call it adultery if someone divorces and remarries for any reason other than that.
There is a beautiful trinity in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At the end of each day of creation, God said it was good. After He created Man and Woman, he said it was “Very good!” Why this difference. We are not like the animals. Marriage is a reflection of the unity found in the trinity. Jesus many times said that the “Father and I are one”. Now he says that man and wife will become one. We are to honor that commitment.
After saying this, it stands to reason that you should be careful and prayerful as you choose the person you will marry. I remember when I was in High School that I made a list of the qualities that I was looking for in a husband. I then rated them in priority. Sure, we can get swept up in emotional love, but the lasting marriage takes commitment. Remember how I started this devotion? It was about forgiveness. It really works. Be sure that when you marry, you both are committed for life! Begin now by praying about the person that you will marry. Pray for that person as they walk with Christ.
~Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Bible Reading: Matthew 19:1-12
Focus Verse: Hebrews 3:8 "Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness."
Jesus had just finished teaching about how to handle a brother’s sin against you and how much we should forgive. I don’t think it’s an accident that that is covered just before marriage. Forgiveness is needed regularly in any marriage based on our nature to sin. The Pharisees came to test him and asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” Jesus replied that from the beginning, God created them male and female to be united as one. God joins them together and man should not separate. There was a concession given by Moses for marital unfaithfulness, but only because of the hardness of their hearts. He said it wasn’t that way in the beginning. Jesus went so far as to call it adultery if someone divorces and remarries for any reason other than that.
There is a beautiful trinity in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At the end of each day of creation, God said it was good. After He created Man and Woman, he said it was “Very good!” Why this difference. We are not like the animals. Marriage is a reflection of the unity found in the trinity. Jesus many times said that the “Father and I are one”. Now he says that man and wife will become one. We are to honor that commitment.
After saying this, it stands to reason that you should be careful and prayerful as you choose the person you will marry. I remember when I was in High School that I made a list of the qualities that I was looking for in a husband. I then rated them in priority. Sure, we can get swept up in emotional love, but the lasting marriage takes commitment. Remember how I started this devotion? It was about forgiveness. It really works. Be sure that when you marry, you both are committed for life! Begin now by praying about the person that you will marry. Pray for that person as they walk with Christ.
~Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
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