The Missing Link

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be^[a] in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
²² Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
²³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."

- John 14:23 (NRSV)

 

As I put on my favorite necklace, I realized one of the links was missing. I had not known it was broken when I placed it in the drawer, but now the necklace was useless to me until the links were joined again. A week earlier I had seen a small silver link on the carpet. Not knowing where it came from, I had picked it up and placed it on the side of the sink. Now I could repair the necklace.





  Like the broken necklace, we can become broken in our spiritual life. This brokenness can happen when any one of life’s devastating losses comes our way — illness, death of a loved one, job loss, divorce. Feeling disconnected from God can happen when we have an argument with a family member or a friend, or when we have an unpleasant encounter with a co-worker or even a stranger at the store.





Our brokenness can be repaired through prayer, personal devotional time, and meditation. We can reconnect with God through Bible study, Sunday school, and community worship. God always provides a link for us if we will take advantage of it.

 

The Author - Charlene T. Eubank (Tennessee, USA) - from The Upper Room

Thought for the Day

We never have to live apart from God.

Prayer

Help us, O God, to stay linked to you. Amen.

Prayer focus     People who feel disconnected from God

Talk

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,






but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” -Ephesians 4:29

Newborn Babes

 

 

 

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the Lord is pure,  enduring forever. 
The decrees of the Lord are firm,  and all of them are righteous.

 1 Peter 2 New International Version (NIV)

1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit,

hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

 ² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk,

so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

 ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

 

 

Recently our fourth child was born. Watching babies grow is amazing. Soon after birth, they begin to coo and smile. Then they gain head movement and begin rolling over. Suddenly, they begin to crawl and walk. However, immediately after being born, they hunger. Instinctively, they cry, craving milk to satisfy their hunger. Our new little girl cries for milk throughout the day. As a result, she grows and grows. If she goes for a long period in the day without nursing, my wife becomes concerned that she may be sick. Healthy babies are hungry babies!


 

As our quoted verse for today says, just as newborn babies crave milk, new believers crave the word of God. New believers have an innate hunger for the word; and through the word, they grow and become mature followers of Christ. We can be encouraged by the hunger that new believers have for God’s word. Healthy followers of Christ hunger for the word.

 

 The Author - Frankie J. Melton, Jr. (South Carolina, USA)

Thought for the Day

True Christians put His words in to action each and every day!

Prayer

Dear God, we pray that a hunger for your word permeate the lives of your people. May we hunger for you and seek you wholeheartedly. We pray for new believers. Satisfy their longings with the sincere milk of your word. Amen.

Prayer focus  New believers

Humility

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” -Philippians 2:3-4

Moving Closer

Peace and Hope

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.  Romans 5:1-5

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

- James 4:8 (NRSV)

 

I was eating a meal with my boyfriend, Brendan, when I noticed that his chair was wobbling. One of the chair legs was resting in the track of the sliding door behind him.
The chair was out of balance, and he clearly could not remain comfortable in that position. I wondered what he would do — whether he would readjust his chair nearer to me or farther away. Finally he moved the chair leg out of the groove, closer to me. 

This incident reminds me of my relationship with God when I have been stuck in uncomfortable or difficult situations, like losing a loved one or being betrayed by someone I trusted. Painful trials happen to all of us. At such times we can become angry and feel far from God, or we can draw near to God through prayer and reading God’s word. As we move closer, God guides us through our struggles and helps us stay in balance. The choice is up to us: Will we become distant until God feels like a stranger, or will we draw near to God?

The Author - Sithy Rogers (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) - from The Upper Room

Thought for the Day

 The choice is up to us: Will we become distant until God feels like a stranger, or will we draw near to God?

Prayer

Dear God, help us to move ever closer to you so that we can enjoy Heaven on earth through more intimacy with you. Amen.
 

Prayer focus  Those who feel out of balance

Forgiveness of God

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

 

 

The forgiveness of God is far-reaching and without limitation to anyone who believes. He forgives the worst of sinners and the best of saints. Atheists, adulterers, murderers, liars, the hot-tempered, and the mild-mannered can all receive the free forgiveness of their heavenly Father. The good, the bad, and the ugly are all candidates for God’s grace.

Jesus Christ’s death on the cross bought us back or redeemed us from the penalty of sin. By faith in Him we no longer have to be burdened by our own indiscretions against almighty God. All sins of omission, commission, and ignorance can be laid at the foot of the cross and left for our Lord’s pardon. Have you been freed by His forgiveness?

Will God forgive years of religious neglect? Yes. Will God forgive a life that lives for itself alone? Yes. Will the Lord forgive divorce, irresponsible living, and laziness? Yes. Will he forgive my chronic complaining, my bad attitude, and my tendency to gossip? Are my pride in my good works and my self-sufficiency covered by Christ’s blood? Yes, God will forgive anything that is an enemy of His grace. His death gives peace.

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:19–20).

Forgiveness is free to all who believe, but it came at a great cost in Christ’s death. God gave His Son for our salvation from sin. So have you personally appropriated faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord? If so, since your salvation do you regularly bow to Him in confession for the cleansing of your heart? Unconfessed sin clouds clear thinking.

Since you have believed, you are rich in God’s grace and have a robust remedy for sin. Do you take advantage of your Lord’s forgiveness? As a Christian, do you sit daily at the feet of your Savior and receive freedom through His forgiveness? At the cross you were set free from the eternal penalty of sin, and now His forgiveness frees you from the guilt of sin. Jesus said, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

“Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you” (Acts 13:38).

Prayer: Have I trusted Jesus for the salvation of my sins? What hidden sins do I need to repent of and confess to Him?

Related Readings: Matthew 26:28; Acts 26:17–19; Romans 6:18–22; Hebrews 9:15

Post/Tweet: Forgiveness is free to all who believe, but it came at a great cost in Christ’s death. #Godforgives


© 2013 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.

God is love.

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” -1 John 4:16