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This Week’s Devotional Topic
WHAT GOD HAS DONE
Our Call To Worship today reminds us to pause and remember the things God has done in and around us. In remembrance of what He has done for you. I like to refer to this process as looking for the “fingerprints of God”, to confirm where He has been….and to rejoice in the fact that ”God was here”. Please join me as we walk down ‘memory lane’ with this in mind.
I Samuel 12:24 “…be sure to fear the LORD and faithfully serve Him. Think of all the wonderful things He has done for you.”
Listen to the reminder of what God did for Israel…
Deuteronomy 8:2-6 Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey His commands. Yes, He humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good. “So obey the commands of the LORD your God by walking in His ways and fearing Him.”
Many times in our lives when we believe it best that we do a certain thing, go somewhere, we move in a certain direction but God clearly intervenes. Some refer to this concept as divine intervention. Listen to the example of Paul in his letter to the church at Rome.
Romans 1:11-13 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.
Christ emphasized the importance of thinking back on important concepts such as the example found in Luke chapter 22 and also in Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth…
I Corinthians 11:23-26 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Think about where you were born. God is the giver of life and sovereignly chose a city and state or country where you would get your start in this life.
Look at what God has done regarding the circumstances around your upbringing and how this helped make you the person you are today.
And what about Family that God has given you and friends that God has placed in your life
As you look back, think about a time in your life when things were clearly directed by God and how they have affected your life since then, turning points.
Psalms 37:23,24 The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.
Remember the needs that God has met in your life just this past year. And what about so many things we take for granted like the wonder of a Sunset or the beauty of sunrise. Or the miracle of life as we have seen the birth of a child.
AND in addition to the many things we have actually seen God has done in and around us are the things done on our behalf that we don’t see. For example:
There May have been a time when you were visited by Angels…
Hebrews 13:1,2 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!
Another example comes to mind as I’m reminded of a song about Angels done many years ago. One line stands out as if a reckless car ran out of gas before it came my way. God has angels watching over me and you.
And as we think about what He has done, we need the perspective described by the Psalmist in…
Psalms 103:8-12 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
To remember what God has done is to be reminded of the ways that God loves us, to clearly see the Love of God.
This week’s Scripture:
I Samuel 12:24; Deuteronomy 8:2-6; Romans 1:11-13; I Corinthians 11:23-26; Psalms 37:23,24; Hebrews 13:1,2; and Psalms 103:8-12
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