The Christian's Guide to a Godly Life 40 Day Devotional (Revised)

8/14/2019 The Christian's Guide to a Godly Life 40 Day Devotional (Revised)

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The Christians Guideto a

Godly Life

A 40 Day Devotional for Spiritual Transformation

By G.W. Martinez


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Table of Contents:

Introduction: 4

Part I: Our Motivation. 7

Chapter 1: Gods Unfailing Love. 8Day 1 4

Chapter 2: Gods Amazing Grace. 18Day 5 7

Chapter 3: Gods Compassion for His People. 27Day 8 11

Part II: Our Foundation. 39

Chapter 4: The Trust of God. 40Day 12 16

Chapter 5: Faith. 57Day 17 19

Part VI: Our Devotion 68

Chapter 6: Prayer: Our Response to God. 69Day 21 23

Chapter 7: Honoring God with Worship, Thanksgiving and Praise. 81Day 24 - 26

Part V: Our Transformation 93

Chapter 8: Godly Conviction. 94Day 27 30

Chapter 9: Growth and Transformation. 116Day 31 34

Part VI: Our Obligation 133

Chapter 10: Meeting the Needs of Others. 134Day 35 - 38

Chapter 11: Living a life that Brings God Glory. 155Day 39 40

Conclusion 167


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Introduction:

One of the most challenging aspects of our spiritual journey is to fulfill what weand God desire for our lives, namely, to be transformed everyday into thelikeness of Christ. The external requirements of obedience to Gods word aredifficult enough, but to effect a transformation in our hearts that leads to apermanent transformation of our lives is something that is not only difficult butcan be truly said to only come through supernatural intervention.

What this study intends to do is to help us to grow by helping us developconviction according to the hierarchy of our spiritual needs. The way God hascreated us we are products of our spiritual perspectives and convictions. Godcreated us with a hierarchy of spiritual needs, where certain needs take priorityover others; and by developing conviction and fulfilling our most important

spiritual needs, we can build on them, resulting in a faithful and glorious Christianlife.

The most important thing that we need to understand is that all spirituality beginswithin the heart:

Prov 4:2323 Above all else, guard your heart,for it is the wellspring of life. NIV

Without our hearts, attempting to live the Christian life will be futile. It may serve

the temporary purpose of giving us the opportunity of living life by Gods perfectprinciples, yet unless the heart grows, in the end it will be a vain attempt that willresult in living a hypocritical life. Like Jesus said:

Mark 7:6-76 He [Jesus] replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites;as it is written:"'These people honor me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me.7 They worship me in vain ;their teachings are but rules taught by men.' NIV Parenthesis and italics mine.

God has created us to live first by our hearts and then by our actions. When weare fully convinced of Gods truths in our hearts, we live lives of strong faith andlove that produce deeds that bring God glory. If we are not grounded fully in thetruth, we will find the Christian life a series of rules and traditions that have losttheir meaning; resulting in a religious rollercoaster ride, which constantly take usfrom the heights of spiritual victory, to the depth of spiritual despair. Until ourinternal selves are full of faith and the love of God, we will be blown here andthere by every emotion, idea, desire, and temptation, becoming slaves to ourinternal nature and powerless against our external circumstances. We will


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become slaves to anything and everything that competes for Gods lordship inour lives, such as: our jobs, the economy, money, our spouse, our kids, ouremotions, our sin, and whatever else competes with our devotion to God. Wewill become easily distracted, ultimately leading to a fruitless life: As Jesus said inthe Parable of the Sower:

Mark 4:18-198 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries ofthis life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in andchoke the word, making it unfruitful. NIV

On the contrary, God has designed us so that when our more important spiritualneeds are met, we are able to live faithfully and consistently adhering to therequirements God expects from our lives as Christians. What I mean is that if we

have weak faith, we will not be able to live faithful lives; but if we have strongfaith we will be strong till our last breath. If we struggle in our trust of God, wewill be weak in our obedience to Him; yet if we trust God, nothing will beimpossible for us. If we lack love, we will not be able to faithfully serve others;but if we love deeply we will be able to share in Gods love, as well as share thatlove with others. Therefore, we must be transformed in our hearts, if we want tobe transformed in our lives.

This study is designed to influence the hierarchy of our spiritual needs, byhelping us develop conviction on each spiritual level of our hearts; and by doingso we will be sufficiently strengthened to make lasting changes in our lives. The

hierarchy is as follows:

Obligation

Transformation

Devotion

Foundation

Motivation

When we build and strengthen one foundation, then can we build on it tosufficiently strengthen the next. On the other hand, if we do not establish strongfoundations on the most important aspects of our spiritual walk, we will not beable to sustain the convictions that we need to live a godly life. Therefore, just asa master builder raises a structure to withstand the test of time; as we build, andGod helps us to build, we will create a life that will not only stand the test of time,

Trust in God/ Faith in God

Walking with God

Gods Love

Living a life thatGlorifies God

Godly Conviction


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trials, temptation, and trouble, but will ultimately end in the glory of God, both inthis life and the next.

So I say, strap yourselves in and be prepared for a journey that will last 40 days.It will be full of joys and struggles, as we wrestle with our hearts to gain theconviction that God wants for us and that will help us to grow ever so close toHim. I suggest that we take time to memorize the scriptures at the end of eachdays study, or at least meditate on them as the day moves on. Each study endswith a decision that we make to ourselves and to God, which will help us commitourselves to the convictions and principles that God conveys to us in scripture;as well as a practical application of the principle that will help us to begin livingthese convictions in our daily life. Younger Christians may find it beneficial to doone study per day, while older Christians may find that doing a few studies at atime more beneficial. I have also added additional studies at the end for

additional inspiration and growth.

I myself can testify that I am a changed man due to the hundreds of scripturesthat you will find in this study; and I continue to review and meditate on them tothis day. I hope that they will have a similar or greater impact in your life, and Ipray that your transformation will fulfill our ultimate purpose in this life asChristians, namely, to bring God glory in all that we are and in everything that wedo, for now and until eternity. To God be the glory, forever and ever, Amen.


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Our Motivation


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Chapter 1: Gods Unfailing Love.

Day 1: God is Love

1 John 4:1616God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. NIV

God describes Himself in one word. Even though He has all of His amazingattributes, His amazing abilities and his awesome, majestic, powerful, andomniscient qualities, He describes Himself in one word, and that word is love.

Love is the embodiment of who God is and everything that God does. When itcomes to creation, even destruction, it is all manifested out of the love that Godhas and the loving being that He is.

God created us because of His love for us. His being, out of the overflow of love,created us as objects to love. We would not exist if God was not love, for wewould have no reason to exist. This is why we have the capacity to love. AsGod has created us as the objects of His love He has endowed us with thecapacity to love Him back. This capacity is seen very clearly in us when we areborn and as children, when we are at the most innocent stage in our lives. Wewere born out of love and created to love in a symbiotic relationship with ourCreator. As the Bible says:

1 John 4:7-8

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone wholoves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does notknow God, because God is love. NIV

Without God, there is no love, and without love there is no connection with God.This is why so many people have lived their lives without a relationship with God,because they refuse to love.

One reason it is difficult to love is because of the increase of wickedness in thisworld. This is the direct result of being the recipients of the consequences of sinin a fallen world. For example, I have been in relationships where other people

have been betrayed the love I gave them. When I experienced thisunfaithfulness, I hardened my heart to loving in that way ever again. Thehardening of my heart developed made it difficult to love the same way again.Consequently, being in a world with fallen souls with weak morals, being hurtagain and again was commonplace, and my heart grew harder and harder. Itwas only by being exposed to the pure love of God, that my heart could come tolife again, and be able to fulfill my capacity to love.

Another reason it may be difficult for us to understand how to love and to graspthe love of God is because many of us have been exposed to parental figures


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that fared way below any standard of holiness and were not very good examplesof God. Gods attributes include unconditional love, abundant compassion,patience, kindness, gentleness, mercy, grace, providence, security,encouragement, and the like. Unfortunately, our parents, though I am sure theytried, fell short of ever displaying these qualities consistently in our lives. I dontnecessarily blame them, because being part of a fallen world; they are weak intheir natural selves to sustain any semblance at godliness. Yet, the unfortunateresult of being exposed to these not so great parental examples is a muchdistorted picture of God and a difficulty in trusting Him; and consequentially adifficult time in loving Him due to the hardness of our hearts.

Yet how do we again tap into our God given capacity to love God and accept Hislove? The Bible has the simplest and the best solution:

1 John 4:1919 We love because he first loved us . NIV

Our capacity to love and the ability for that love to grow is dependent on ourexposure to the great and amazing love of God. Therefore, we must beoverwhelmingly exposed to Gods great love in order to melt the coldness of ourhearts and again breathe life into our souls. The more exposure we haveavailable to us of the love of God the more our hearts will melt at His verypresence. Our greatest examples of this are the vast amount of scriptures thattestify to the awesome love of God.

These first few weeks of this 40 days study, we will embark on an adventurethrough the Bible in search of the great love of God. We will look at all of theamazing qualities of Gods love, so that by doing so, our hearts will melt and fallin love with our great and awesome God. We will look at how unworthy we trulyare of Gods love, to help us to appreciate Him more. And we will look at howGod has demonstrated His love to us, so that we will have proof to help us trulybelieve in how much God truly and abundantly loves us, His children.

Question for reflection:

If God were willing to let Jesus die to regain a relationship with us, then what

does that say about the extent of Gods love for us?

Decision:

I will seek to more deeply understand God abundant love for me.

Scripture Memory:

1 John 4:1616God is love . Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. NIV


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Practice:

I will reflect on Gods great love for me today.


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Day 2: Gods Unfailing Love

Psalms 33:55 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;the earth is full of his unfailing love.NIV

The first quality that we see about Gods love is that it is unfailing. Unfailing,means never ending, and everlasting; in other words nothing in this universe canever prevent or hinder Gods love. Therefore, if God loves us, his love is anunstoppable force that nothing in the world can ever hinder from reaching us, andmost importantly, it will never fail us.

When people love it is unsecure and untrustworthy because of our limited ability

as human beings to sustain our love. One guarantee of human love is that it willfail at one time or another. The guarantee we have with Gods love is that it willnever fail, because God has no limitations, and nothing in the universe can everstop God. As the Bible says:

Rom 8:38-9:138 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth,nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of Godthat is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV

The Bible is full of scriptures of Gods unfailing love. Here are a few that we canreflect on to begin our journey toward spiritual transformation with the rightperspective in mind:

Psalms 32:1010 Many are the woes of the wicked,but the LORD's unfailing lovesurrounds the man who trusts in him.NIV

Psalms 33:18

18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, NIV

Psalms 52:88 But I am like an olive treeflourishing in the house of God;I trust in God's unfailing loveforever and ever. NIV


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These scriptures only begin to touch the hem of what encompasses Gods greatlove for us. This is why I have added additional scriptures in the appendix to helpus to continue to reflect on the truth of Gods love and begin the spiritualtransformation that God so desperately desires of us. Our goal is to know Godslove fully so that we in turn can fully love. It is a pursuit that must never beabandoned and one that we should pray for every day. As Paul says:

Eph 3:14-1914 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family inheaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches hemay strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so thatChrist may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rootedand established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasphow wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this

love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all thefullness of God. NIV


What does Gods unfailing love mean to you?

Decision:

I will trust in Gods unfailing love, no matter what my circumstance.

Scripture memory:

Psalms 32:1010 Many are the woes of the wicked,but the LORD's unfailing lovesurrounds the man who trusts in him. NIV

Practice:

No matter what todays circumstances, I will believe that Gods love is alwayswith me.


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Day 3: Gods Eternal Love

Psalms 100:55 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;his faithfulness continues through all generations.NIV

God being eternal, has and expresses eternal love for His creation. This meansthat as long as God lives He will continue to shower his love for mankind and Hiscreation, and because God lives forever, His love endures forever. How many ofus questioned how long another persons love would last, especially when theywould eventually discover our shortcomings and weakness and know ourdeepest darkest secrets? Well, God already knows our deepest darkest secrets,has seen us at our worst and yet continues to deeply love us from the day we

were created till now, and well into the future.

The ultimate sign of Gods love was to let Jesus die for us. Jesus did not diebecause of how good we were, Jesus died because of how bad we are; notbecause of our devotion but because of our ingratitude. This is what makes Godtruly perfect, because His love is unconditionally perfect.

Another benefit of Gods enduring love is that because He loves eternally Hewants us to love Him eternally and therefore grants us eternal life to do so. Godis so driven to love us forever that He would let his son die on a cross to removewhat would prevent us from being able to be the objects of his love for eternity,

namely, sin. God loves us despite our sin, even though our sin may hinder usfrom loving Him back. As the Bible says:

Rom 5:6-86 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for theungodly . 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a goodman someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own lovefor us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. NIV

And,

2 Cor 5:20-2121 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might

become the righteousness of God. NIV

God will go to any length to win our hearts back to Him. He sent Jesus to earthto teach us, love us, and to die on a cross to for our sins; because Gods eternallove will overcome any obstacle to His relationship with us.

Therefore, let us take time to reflect on the Gods eternal love so that we can doour part and return that love in an eternal relationship with our Maker


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How does it make you feel to know that God has always loved you, whether as asinner, and now as a Christian, and that His love will never end?

Decision:

I will fully believe that Gods love for me will never end, no matter what I do, and Iwill thank Him daily for it.

Scripture memory:

Psalms 118:1

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;his love endures forever. NIV

Practice:

I will meditate on Gods eternal love today and thank Him for devoting Himself tome forever.


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Day 4: Gods Mercy and Grace.

Micah 7:1818 Who is a God like you,who pardons sin and forgives the transgressionof the remnant of his inheritance?You do not stay angry foreverbut delight to show mercy. NIV

Gods love has many qualities, yet none has a larger impact in our lives than Hismercy and His grace. You see, Gods love is unfailing, and Gods love is eternal,yet we, being fallen creatures and limited in our abilities, constantly fail God, hurtGod, and take our love away from Him. Gods love is so great that in responseto our moral frailties, He takes the high road and provides mercy, forgiveness

and an abundance of grace. Gods love is so immense that it is against Hisnature to not love us because of our weaknesses.

Jesus expressed Gods heart toward our shortcomings best when nailed to across he says:

Luke 23:33-3434 "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

NIV

As a father looks at his child when the child fails, is rebellious or even takes their

love a way, God looks at us with a heart full of mercy and grace, understandingand replying with the phrase I forgive you, for I know you do not know what youare doing.

I have a two year old son, who loves to play the game, I am not going to giveyou love until you give me what I want (I actually know many adults like this, butfor now lets stick to the topic of children). Consequently, when I take somethingaway from him that I believed to be dangerous or unsafe, hell get angry andwant to pull away. I try to explain it to him, but he is angry at me for taking awaywhat he wanted. I try to give him a hug and he runs away from me. I pick himup, and he struggles to get away from me. Does it hurt? Heavens, yes! Yet,

what goes through my heart and mind? I forgive you, son, for you do not knowwhat you are doing.

Gods overwhelming love for us would determine that God does not want us tosin, not because of what it does to Him, but because of what it does to us, andHis heart reaches out to love and protect us. When we do sin, His heart is one ofmercy and grace because His love rises to a higher level of understanding of ourmoral struggle.


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This is directly contradictory to the world and to traditional religion that uses thethreat of eternal punishment as a motivation for us to be obedient. The worldand traditional religion says, Dont do wrong or you will get punished, and if youdo wrong the punishment will be severe. The God of the Bible says, Dont dowrong because you will hurt yourself, yet even if you do wrong I will love you,have compassion on you, forgive you, and help you.

Though this may be difficult for many of us to grasp, we must accept that Godslove is not determined by our perception. Whether we believe it, feel it,understand it, accept it or not, Gods love is here to stay. The truth is that myfeelings change day to day but Gods love never changes. Yet, due to our trustin our perception over Gods truth we battle back and forth trying to believewhether Gods love is real. We are totally convinced one day, and the next dayin doubt as to whether God really loves us.

What prevents us from accepting what the Bible says about the unconditionallove of God, is the same thing that prevents our children from doing what we saythat will benefit and protect them; namely rebelliousness. We decide to believeand trust ourselves (our perception), and how we feel (our emotion) over Godstruth. Only when we truly humble ourselves and trust what God says over whatwe perceive will we truly be able to accept and grasp Gods great mercy, graceand love for us, and receive the incredible blessings that come from this belief.

Here are a few scriptures that testify to the love and mercy of God for hischildren. When we decide to believe what God says in scripture over our own

feelings, will we be able to understand Gods mercy and grace and truly find helpin our time of need:

Ex 34:5-76 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the

compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love andfaithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellionand sin. NIV

Isaiah 55:77 Let the wicked forsake his way

and the evil man his thoughts.Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,and to our God, for he will freely pardon. NIV

Eph 2:4-104 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alivewith Christ even when we were dead in transgressions it is by grace you havebeen saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in theheavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he mightshow the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in


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Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and thisnot from yourselves, it is the gift of God 9 not by works, so that no one canboast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do goodworks, which God prepared in advance for us to do. NIV

In conclusion, Gods love is unfailing, eternal, full of mercy and grace, and thereis and never will be anything that I can ever do to prevent God from loving me.Gods love is always waiting for us, and is always there for us because it isimpossible for God to deny His nature, because God is love. If we devoteourselves to Him we will be showered with His love, if we turn away He will bewaiting in expectation to overwhelm us with His compassion and grace. As theBible demonstrates in the parable of the Prodigal Son:

Luke 15:20-24

"But while he was still a long way off , his father saw him and was filled withcompassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissedhim.

21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. Iam no longer worthy to be called your son.'

22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it onhim. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calfand kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead andis alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. NIV


What kind of response does God want from us for letting Jesus die on the crossto forgive us all of our sins?

Decision:

I will accept Gods forgiveness, mercy and grace no matter what I feel or believe.

Scripture memory:

Romans 9:1616 It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.

Practice:

No matter what mistakes I make today, I will claim the grace, mercy and loveGod has for me.


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Chapter 2: Gods Amazing Grace.

Day 5: Why We Need Grace.

Jer 2:1313 "My people have committed two sins:They have forsaken me,the spring of living water,and have dug their own cisterns,broken cisterns that cannot hold water. NIV

There is no greater demonstration of Gods great love for us than in His sacrificeof Jesus for our sins. Grace is defined as receiving a gift when one does notdeserve it. What we sometimes forget or fail to realize is that we not only did not

deserve any gifts from God, but we deserved the most heinous punishment thatanyone could ever receive because of our rebellious lives of sin.

God has feelings, as we have feelings, and it is even said that we have feelingsbecause we are made in Gods image. It makes sense that God, being perfect,has emotions that can never be minimized, invalidated, distracted or ignored. Inother words, God does not harden His heart to avoid feeling deeply painfulsituations, nor does He use defense mechanisms, as we do in our attempts toavoid feeling our pain. God feels deeply, passionately, fully and perfectly, andwhen we sin, the hurt in Gods heart is of the deepest, most painful experiencesthat any being can ever experience. God, who experiences this heartache, does

not keep silent, but communicates these feelings to us through the pages ofscripture:

Gen 6:5-76 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was

filled with pain . NIV

Jer 14:1717 "Speak this word to them:"'Let my eyes overflow with tearsnight and day without ceasing;

for my virgin daughter my people has suffered a grievous wound,a crushing blow. NIV

It is no wonder God feels this level of pain. To God, sin is equated tounfaithfulness and abandonment, and therefore our passionate God feels deeplypained by our sinful lives. God constantly compares his pain at our sin to thepain one would feel in an unfaithful relationship:


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Hos 1:22 When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go,take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness , because theland is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD." NIV

Jer 3:2020 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,so you have been unfaithful to me, O house of Israel,"declares the LORD. NIV

Because sin is equal to unfaithfulness to God, then it merits the most severepunishment imaginable, in proportion to the pain that we have caused Him.For example, I have a friend, who I shall call Sarah. She was the picture ofabsolute joy and radiance on her wedding day. She declared her vows to her

love, was married before God, and joyfully committed herself to this oneindividual for the rest of her life. A few weeks after coming back from herhoneymoon, she discovered a new brides worst nightmare; she discovers thather Prince Charming, was actually a toad. She discovered that her spouse washaving an affair the entire time she was dating, engaged and married (adevastating yet common situation).

Imagine how you would feel being in Sarahs shoes. Imagine the pain of betrayaland the enduring heartache that accompanies such a traumatic experience.What we must understand is that God has to endure the feelings that accompanyour constant unfaithfulness when we as Christians sin again, again and again, or

settle for a half-hearted relationship to him. It is true that God forgives us, but hefeels the pain of our unfaithfulness without measure. Though He knows that, weknow not what we do, He still has to watch, feel and endure as we go through it.

Along with the unfaithfulness of our sins, God also compares sin withabandonment. The pain of being abandoned is a pain that can rival the pain ofunfaithfulness, in intensity and depth of despair. When someone you loveabandons you there is a sense of lost love and hurt that is very difficult to recoverfrom. The abandonment can be subtle, such as emotional and physical neglect,or blatant, when the person leaves you and takes their love somewhere else.We experience these pains deeply, especially when our level of trust is so great,

that it is unimaginable and unbearable to us to ever lose this person we love sodearly. Yet God feels this pain all of the time because of our refusal to love Him,our Father and Creator, and especially when we turn our backs on Him:

Isa 59:12-1312 For our offenses are many in your sight,and our sins testify against us.Our offenses are ever with us,and we acknowledge our iniquities:13 rebellion and treachery against the LORD,


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turning our backs on our God,fomenting oppression and revolt,uttering lies our hearts have conceived. NIV

We must soberly understand that like a jealous or abandoned spouse, our sinangers God to no avail. Though this is not a pleasant thought, it is the reality; ourunfaithfulness incurs Gods wrath. God will destroy the sinful, because of Hisrighteous indignation and because of His overwhelming justice. Our sin will bringus what our deeds deserve, which is a horrific thought, because God who doesnot lie will judge those who disobey Him. As the Bible says:

Ps 90:1111 Who knows the power of your anger?For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you. NIV

Heb 10:3131 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. NIV

We must see our need for grace by meditating on our deep sinfulness, in order tobe grateful for the grace that God has given us. We must see our powerlessnessso that we can truly depend on Gods powerfulness and desperately reach out forHis mercy and grace. You see, only when we are broken and truly see ourdepraved hearts and destitute situations can we see our need for Gods grace.Today we have meditated on our sinfulness and the depravity of the humanheart. It was not meant to discourage us, but to sober us to truly be grateful for

the amazing gift of grace that God has given to us in Jesus Christ.


How grateful should we be for Jesus dying on the cross, and saving us from theimpending punishment that was brought upon us by our sinful lives?

Decision:

I will communicate to God my gratitude daily, in word and action, for Jesussacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins.

Scripture memory:

Eph 2:4-64 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alivewith Christ even when we were dead in transgressions it is by grace you havebeen saved . NIV

Practical:I will thank God today for the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for my sins.


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Day 6: God and His Amazing Grace.

Rom 5:88 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,Christ died for us. NIV

In all of Gods wondrous love, He found a way for us not to have to receive thefull punishment and wrath for our sins; yet it came at a great sacrifice for Him.Because of our rebelliousness and our plight, only the death of someone sinlessand perfect could atone for our sinful and self-serving lives, and the punishmentthat our lives incurred. It would mean that God would have to send his son toearth to die for the sins of the world.

Far be it from me to say that I fully understand what that would be equivalent to.

To leave heaven and come to earth, I can probably imagine it being similar toyou or I becoming a cockroach, to live amongst other vile and disgustingcreatures and living in the cesspool of a citys sewer system. For Jesus toexchange His glory for ours, and come to earth, was a true sacrifice:

2 Cor 8:99 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yetfor your sakes he became poor , so that you through his poverty might becomerich. NIV

Phil 2:5-7

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:6 Who, being in very nature God,did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,7 but made himself nothing ,taking the very nature of a servant,being made in human likeness. NIV

Then the sovereign and all powerful creator of the universe sets about living andresiding among his creation. He was humiliated, disrespected, beaten, spatupon, ridiculed, mocked, and rejected by His very creation; and He, full of all ofthe power in the universe, and an unconditional love for His creation, stood there

and took it:

Isa 53:33 He was despised and rejected by men,a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.Like one from whom men hide their faceshe was despised, and we esteemed him not. NIV


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Jesus, as God in the flesh, being morally perfect in every way, was accused ofwrongdoing, of blasphemy, and even declared to be punished by God for Hisevil:

Isa 53:44 Surely he took up our infirmitiesand carried our sorrows,yet we considered him stricken by God,smitten by him, and afflicted. NIV

He took the beatings, maltreatment, ridicule and torture designed for the worst ofcriminals; barely recognizable when they had finished with Him:

Isa 52:14

14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any manand his form marred beyond human likeness NIV

Finally, He was given over to death, mocked until His last dying breath:

Matt 27:39-4039 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 andsaying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, saveyourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" NIV

God sacrificed all of this, all in the hope that one day we would return to Him, re-establish our relationship with Him, and live a new life devoted to righteousness:

1 Peter 2:23-2424 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sinsand live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. NIV

Therefore, God, because of His unfailing, and overwhelming love for us, whenwe had turned our backs on Him and became His enemies, sacrificed everythingto have a relationship with us. What we must also understand is that God didthis only for us, to save us from the impending doom that was hanging over us,

rescuing us from a punishment that would soon be discharged against us:

Rom 5:9-119 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we besaved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies ,we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, havingbeen reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but wealso rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have nowreceived reconciliation. NIV


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God has demonstrated what true love is, because He laid down His life for us.When we were His enemies, Christ died for us, truly demonstrating how much ofa Father, God, and friend He is to us. Now that we are his children, how muchmore help do you think we will receive from God? If I do good to my enemy, howmuch more will I do for my friend? Because of this we know we will be saved, weknow we will receive the help we need in this difficult life, and we know God willdo whatever it takes to get us to heaven. As the Bible says:

Phil 1:66 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on tocompletion until the day of Christ Jesus. NIV

Questions for reflection:

If God were willing to go to these lengths to have a relationship with us, to whatlengths will He go to help us make it to heaven?

Decision:

I will honor Jesus sacrifice on the cross by dedicating myself to a life completelydevoted to God.

Scripture memory:

Rom 5:8

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,Christ died for us. NIV

Practice:

Today I will thank God for Jesus sacrifice and show Him my gratitude by strivingto be righteous in all the circumstances I face today.


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Day 7: Gods Grace for the Christian.

Rom 8:3232 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all how will henot also, along with him, graciously give us all things? NIV

If God were willing to go to any and all lengths to love us, what will He not do forus? How much am I worth to God, that He would sacrifice so much, all to have arelationship with me? Though it may be difficult to grasp, if God was willing tosacrifice what was most precious to Him to have a relationship with me, to winme back from a life of sin and destruction and to provide me the opportunity tolive with Him eternally, will he not also provide me the help that I need toovercome the obstacles that I face every day, the providence to supply what Iand my family need, the wisdom to help me make the best decisions, guidance

for my life that will benefit me and my family, and finally the strength to perseverethrough any difficulty until I see Him in heaven?

For example, I was once in a foreign country, and I met a young man in themarketplace who wanted to sell me an old, beat up wristwatch for ten dollars. Ilaughed because the watch was broken, and one of the watch hands wasmissing. After I laughed, this young man raised the value to fifty dollars. I beganto laugh harder because it was getting silly. Then the he continues to raise theprice to one hundred dollars. By this time it was not funny anymore and I thoughtthat he was either confused or a little out of his mind. What I later found out fromhis mother was that this watch was given to him by his older brother when he

was on his death bed, and the more I laughed the more I reminded him of hisbrother. The more I laughed the more he remembered the true value of thewatch, and the price had to match its value. What we must consider, is that ifGod paid for our lives with the sacrifice of Jesus, how valuable are we to God?Priceless!

There is no greater symbol to remind us of the great love of God and howvaluable we are to Him, than the cross of Christ. This is why the apostle Paultook it so seriously and made every effort to keep the cross emblazoned in hisheart:

Gal 6:1414 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whichthe world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. NIV

The cross is the culmination of all of the great love of God in one act. It inspiresus, challenges us, convicts us, and reminds us of how deeply we are loved byGod. Internalizing the great sacrifice God has made for us is difficult at timesbecause of the hardness of our hearts, but internalize it we must.


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Once the cross is emblazoned in our hearts, we will begin to see the truth aboutour present situation much more clearly. You would think that God ended his giftgiving by showering His grace to us at the cross; but this is far from the truth. Bylavishing us with His grace at the cross He has shown us that He will continue toshower his grace upon us, His adopted children, every day, and will continue inthe afterlife:

2 Cor 9:7-98 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all

times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. NIV

Heb 4:1616 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we mayreceive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. NIV

Therefore God will provide us with everything that we need in this life, no matterhow big, or how small; and he has sacrificed His son on the cross to prove it.God truly loves us, will truly provide for us, will help us in trouble, will protect usand will get us to heaven, and He has demonstrated that He will do anything forus, by sacrificing His son on a cross for us.

The condemnation that we so rightly deserved is no longer hanging over ourheads. God continues to provide for us by showering us with grace on a dailybasis to meet every one of our needs. God will continue to shower us with hisgrace for eternity, as we pass from this life to the next. The important question

that we must now ask ourselves is, after all that God has done for us, how canwe ever doubt the great love of God and His desire to meet all of our needs? Asthe Bible says:

Rom 8:3232 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all how will henot also, along with him, graciously give us all things? NIV


If God were to put a price tag on your head, what do you think He would write on

the ticket?

Decision:

I will let go of my worries, and will put my trust in God who loves me, and hasproved it by letting Jesus die on the cross for me.

Scripture Memory:


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Heb 4:1616 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we mayreceive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.NIV

Practice:

I will meditate on how much I am truly worth to God today and will thank Him forHis amazing grace.


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Chapter 3. Gods Compassion for His People

Day 8. Acknowledging the Love of God.

God describes himself as having an unfailing love for his people, an ever-lastingcompassion for his children, an unending supply of mercy, and an eternalpassion to be close to his treasured possession. God has given everything to hispeople, even sacrificing his son to convince us that there is no one who has morepassion and desire for our prosperity than our Almighty God and Father. He didall that could be done; He has given all that He could give; and He has proven allthat needs to be proven. All so that he can convince us of two undeniable truths:that He is God and that He loves us.

Yet, as you may relate, in my day to day life I find it difficult to believe that there

is anyone out there who truly cares for my plight, who is really concerned for thedaily stress I feel, who would really understand the turmoil I face on a daily basis,and who would truly help me to overcome the mental, physical, emotional,stress-filled challenges that I face every day.

I wonder to myself, If Gods love is so great, why is it that I still wake up in fearas to the different challenges that face my family and me on a daily basis? Whyis it that I am so concerned over the overwhelming details of my life; the onesthat I try to control, and which have changed me into a perfectionist, a controlfreak, a worry wart who truly has no self control, consumed by things that rob meof my joy, hope, love, my relationships and my life?

Also, I think to myself, Why am I so worried about so many things? Things suchas bills, the weather; worried about my health or the health of my children; my jobor lack of job; my future, my retirement, or my nest egg; my business; my spouseor lack of spouse, my parents health and needs, my siblings and their problems,my children and their problems; my lack of happiness, how much I hate my job,my guilt, my sin, my life, and so on, and so on and so on

If Gods love is truly as great as he says it is, then when life hits, why do I notfeel, as if there is all knowing, all powerful, all loving God who has made me thetrue object of his desire, and who will watch over me during the storms of life?

Either God has lied, or I have refused to believe the truth. Since it is impossiblefor God to lie, then the trouble, not surprisingly, lies with us; by us, meaning ourperception and conviction about the truth. Since what we perceive is usually ourreality, it is no wonder that if we do not perceive Gods love in our life we dontfeel it either. As for conviction, we have conviction, even deep conviction, yetunfortunately we believe strongly in that which according to God is not true,namely that life is big, and God is small.


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What I mean is, if I was truly convinced that God, the almighty and powerfulcreator of the universe, is full of unfailing, eternal, everlasting love, desire andpassion for me, his child, wouldnt common sense dictate that I would have verylittle to ever be concerned about, worried about, to fret about, to be unhappyabout, to fear about, to complain about, to ruminate about, grumble about, getbitter about, get angry about, sin about, or to curse God about? If I truly believedthat God is on my side, fighting my battles, protecting me from harm, providingfor me and my familys every need, guiding me in my decisions, and watchingover my every step, wouldnt I be in an eternal state of joyous celebration, rarelyconcerned about anything? Yet our lives are wrought with concern, worry, fret,unhappiness, negativity, complaints, grumblings, bitterness, anger and a wholelot of sin!

The problem, of course, lies in our hearts. Though our minds may be convinced

of the love of God, our hearts truly dictate our lives and reveal what we are reallymade of and what we truly believe. In our heads, we mentally acknowledge thecliff notes of who God is, His love for us, and what he can do. Yet we forget toconnect our hearts to our head and to let it flow to the rest of our lives. Its likewiring the lights around your house during Christmas time, and forgetting to plugit into the outlet. We do a lot of work yet there is no enlightenment. There is noconviction.

In other words, in my mind I believe that God loves me, He is all powerful, andHe cares about my situation. Yet, when I face my big problems it doesnt seemlike God even likes me that much, or that He is strong enough to handle my

situation, or that He even cares that much at all.

What we must understand is that the cause of the inner conflicts that are causedby our doubt and worry comes from our attempts at self-preservation thatcompete with Gods lordship in our lives. This is why Gods love must never belimited to the mind. Only a deep, heart driven conviction can overcome theconstant temptations we face, that come at us both internally and externally. Ourminds alone are just not strong enough to resist the onslaught and barrage ofnegative influences that we face daily, in this life.

More importantly, God does not tolerate double-mindedness. He demands that

our devotion to Him consume every part of our heart, mind, and soul:

Matt 22:37-3937 Jesus replied: "`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all yoursoul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. NIV

Because God will not tolerate this type of double-mindedness we must get ourhearts and our minds in line with what God desires and the truth about the Godthat we serve. Suffice it to say, being wholehearted in our minds and hearts,will not be easy. The reason is that Jesus Christ has already died for us, and if


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that is not enough for us to be totally convinced of the extent God is willing tosacrifice for us and love us, then our hearts have been hardened as a result ofliving a spiritually double life. To change such a heart will take supernaturalintervention; intervention that can only come about through prayer. Only prayercan help us because only God can change such a hardened heart. As God saysin scripture:

Ezek 11:19-2019 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will removefrom them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they willfollow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and Iwill be their God. NIV

In the modeling process, a piece of glass that hardens in a flawed shape must be

broken and again put through the fire to be transformed. Our prayer must moveGod to break our hearts to reshape us in the image of our Savior. This maymean that God will put us through the fire to refine us. One way or another wewill be broken. The level of pain we endure in the breaking and refining processwill be dependent on whether we pursue brokenness or if do nothing, and wait forGod to break us. As a friend of mine once said, We can humble ourselves andreceive the handof God, or we can be stubborn, resist and receive the footofGod. The choice is ours.

Question for Reflection:

How can we show God that we truly believe He loves us as much as He says Hedoes and has demonstrated it by His sacrifice on the cross?

Decision:

I will wholeheartedly honor Jesus sacrifice on the cross by living a life free ofworry, fret, and distraction, and proclaim Gods great love for me every day.

Scripture memory:

Rom 8:32

32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all how will henot also, along with him, graciously give us all things? NIV

Practice:

I will deny every thought steeped in doubt and worry from my mind today, and fillmy mind with thoughts of Gods great love for me.


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Day 9: Gods Compassion

Ps 103:2-52 Praise the LORD, O my soul,and forget not all his benefits--3 who forgives all your sinsand heals all your diseases,4 who redeems your life from the pitand crowns you with love and compassion,5 who satisfies your desires with good thingsso that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. NIV

What is compassion? Is it not a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for anotherwho is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate that

suffering? Gods compassion stems from the feeling God has, of deep sympathyand sorrow for us, His children, who have been stricken with misfortune, and whoillicit His deep desire to alleviate our suffering. The following are some scripturesdescribe the extent of Gods compassion for his people;

Psalms 103:1313 As a father has compassion on his children,so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; NIV

Isaiah 49:15-1615 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast

and have no compassion on the child she has borne?Though she may forget,I will not forget you!16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;your walls are ever before me. NIV

2 Cor 1:3-43 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father ofcompassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, sothat we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves havereceived from God. NIV

God has also displayed his unchanging compassion and mercy for his childrenthroughout history as an example for us to put our trust in him:

Ex 3:77 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I haveheard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned abouttheir suffering. NIV


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2 Chron 30:99 If you return to the LORD, then your brothers and your children will be showncompassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the LORD yourGod is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if youreturn to him." NIV

Luke 12:6-76 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten byGod. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; youare worth more than many sparrows. NIV

When Jesus came to earth,his display of compassion was so great andcommonplace that it was frequently documented by his followers:

Matt 9:36-37When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they wereharassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. NIV

Matt 14:1414 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them andhealed their sick. NIV

Matt 15:3232 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for thesepeople; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do

not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way." NIV

Matt 20:3434 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately theyreceived their sight and followed him. NIV

Mark 1:41-4241 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "Iam willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he wascured. NIV

Sometimes we may feel as if we are all alone in this universe, with the greatresponsibility for fending for ourselves and our families. We feel as if we are toface all of lifes challenges with the little strength that we have; a battle that isextraordinarily difficult due to our human limitations and our lack of influence overoverwhelming forces, such as death, disease, natural disaster, a bad economy,etc.

What we must realize is that God, who is in total control of the universe, longs forus with a deep compassion, which drives Him to help us and our families through


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the challenges of this life, no matter how great or small; to ultimately finish therace, and win the prize that awaits us in heaven.God sees our challenges and our despair, and because of His compassion, He ismoved to influence our lives and the lives of those around us, whether Christianor not. Our greatest challenge is our lack of perception of Gods work in ourlives, and our nature to doubt His great compassion for us. Yet it is our faith inGods love for us that will give us the strength and hope to persevere throughlifes trials and finally receive our reward in heaven.

Therefore, we must persevere, we must have faith, and we must trust in the greatlove of God that is proclaimed throughout scripture. Only when our hearts areconvinced of Gods great love and compassion, will our hearts go through anupheaval, which will influence every area of our lives. If we believe in Godscompassionate love, then we will trust him; if we trust him, we will obey him.

Then all that awaits us is glory. As the Bible says:

Isa 30:1818 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;he rises to show you compassion.For the LORD is a God of justice.Blessed are all who wait for him! NIV


What do you think inspires God to have so much compassion for you, His child?

Decision:

I will wholeheartedly trust in Gods compassion for me, and thank Him for it everyday.

Scripture memory:

Psalms 116:55 The LORD is gracious and righteous;our God is full of compassion. NIV

Practice:

Today I will thank God for His great compassion, and fall on His compassionwhenever I fall short of His commands.


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Day 10: Out of the overflow of the heart

We cannot deny that God carries an immeasurable amount of compassion for hischildren. In human history, God has shown his concern about the suffering, themisfortune, the failures, successes, and the salvation of the people of Hiscreation. God has even been concerned with our hunger, thirst, happiness,sadness, health, understanding, jobs, relationships, families, etc. The fact thatGod is concerned with our concerns, no matter how insignificant, is in line withthe depth and breadth of his compassion:

Ps 139:1-4,16O LORD, you have searched meand you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;you perceive my thoughts from afar.3 You discern my going out and my lying down;you are familiar with all my ways.4 Before a word is on my tongueyou know it completely, O LORD16 your eyes saw my unformed body.All the days ordained for mewere written in your bookbefore one of them came to beNIV

We have a God that does not change. This means we have a God that isconcerned about us, the same way he was concerned for our ancestors. As hewas concerned for them and the multitude of significant and insignificant thingsthat plagued them every day, so he has a deep and undying compassion for us;and yes, he is concerned about the multitude of significant and insignificantconcerns we face every day.

Why do we continue to fret, worry and fear? Simply, we either forget or neglectthat God is with us, and take matters into our own hands. In other words, thoughwe know that the designer of our universe has a deep love, compassion, mercy

and longing for our prosperity as his children, when we face difficult times God,who is invisible, is unfortunately not the first one that we turn to for help. We turnour attention to what we perceive to be more reliable things, like our intellect, thehelp of other people. Granted, those things are useful, but we neglect God,because an invisible being does not seem, in our minds, to be the most reliableplan when we really need one. That is, until our plans fail, our best advisorsabandon us, and we realize that we have no one else to turn to.

What is interesting is that if God were to physically materialize and help us in ourevery day endeavors, routines, responsibilities, and troubles; and if God were to


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physically be with us at our jobs, at home, outside, inside, shopping, on theInternet, etc., our lives and hearts would be radically different, our convictionwould be solid, and we would live and feel differently.

Yet, we must accept the reality that God is with us, spiritually, everywhere we go,and that He is with us in everything that we do. He is at constant work in our dailylives and completely engrossed in our affairs. He blesses us, and provides for us,helps us and protects us. As He declares in scripture:

Isa 43:1 3"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;I have summoned you by name; you are mine.2 When you pass through the waters,I will be with you ;

and when you pass through the rivers,they will not sweep over you.When you walk through the fire,you will not be burned;the flames will not set you ablaze.3 For I am the LORD, your God,the Holy One of Israel, your Savior NIV

When we do not grasp and trust in Gods unfailing love the consequences areobvious: We worry, fret, get angry, get upset, we are impatient, we are rude, weare not gentle, we get obsessed, we grow weary, we grow tired, we are

depressed, we become burdened, become bitter, resentful, restless; constantlycomplaining, envious of others, we whine, we are negative, we are critical, wecarry a cloud of sadness where we go; there is little optimism, lots of fear, lots ofinsecurity, and a whole lot of sin. As this scripture in Jeremiah so eloquentlyexplains:

Jer 17:5-65 This is what the LORD says:"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,who depends on flesh for his strengthand whose heart turns away from the LORD.

6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands;he will not see prosperity when it comes.He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,in a salt land where no one lives. NIV

Yet there are great benefits for the man or woman who trusts in the love of God.As the scripture in Jeremiah also says:


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Jer 17:7-87 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,whose confidence is in him.8 He will be like a tree planted by the waterthat sends out its roots by the stream.It does not fear when heat comes;its leaves are always green.It has no worries in a year of droughtand never fails to bear fruit." NIV

The choice to trust in Gods great compassion is a choice that we face every day,and which we must take seriously because it will have far reachingconsequences both in this life and the next. Will we depend on the everlasting,immeasurable, unyielding, unstoppable, immense, and exciting love of God and

respond by putting our trust in Him? Our actions will reveal our answer.


Why does trusting God bring such deep security, confidence and joy in our lives?

Decision:

No matter how difficult the circumstances I face in life, I will put my trust in Godscompassion and love for me.

Scripture memory:

7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,whose confidence is in him.

Practice:

Today, I will put my trust in Gods compassion by praying to Him and thankingHim for all of the circumstances and blessings in my life.


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Day 11: Gods Compassion is Trustworthy.

In our Bible reading we come across many examples of those who graspedGods immense and unfathomable love and compassion and responded byputting their trust in Him (i.e.: Enoch, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, etc.). Ofcourse they were blessed in this life and the next. Or, on the contrary, we haveseen examples of those who were too stubborn and hard of heart to accept thehumble truth, and were condemned to live a cursed life, (Cain, Pharaoh, Saul,etc.).

The following are some examples from the multitudes in heaven who can attestto the truth of Gods love and who encourage us to trust that love in our dailystruggles:

Jesus:

John 14:114:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. NIV

Matt 6:25-26,3325 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; orabout your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and thebody more important than clothes?... 33 But seek first his kingdom and hisrighteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

NIV

Matt 11:28-3028 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden islight." NIV

Paul:

Phil 4:4-7

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness beevident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but ineverything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests toGod. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guardyour hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. NIV

1 Thess 5:16-1816 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, forthis is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. NIV


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Heb 4:14-16 (The Hebrew writer)14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through theheavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 Forwe do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet waswithout sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so thatwe may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. NIV

Peter:

1 Peter 5:6-76 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you upin due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. NIV

We are faced with a persistent and pertinacious choice to make in our lives everyday; a choice whose consequences will reach into every aspect of our lives andgovern our thoughts. Will we continue to be those who are controlled by the gripof fear and worry, enslaved to a hard heart toward the One who has sacrificed allto have us as his treasured possession? Or will we be stubborn and unyieldingtoward anything that will deny us from accepting and enjoying the unending andeverlasting; the immeasurable and unfathomable; the ever enduring and far-reaching love that our great God and Father has lavished on us and which is atour disposal whenever, wherever, and for whoever needs it? After all, Jesus didnot die for the angels or the spirits in the heavens. On the contrary only to usdoes the Bible say:

Rom 8:35-3935 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship orpersecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

"For your sake we face death all day long;we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who lovedus. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of Godthat is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV

We have the ability to prioritize, and revolutionize our lives. Yet only if we aredoggedly determined to accept Gods deep love for us, not only in our heads butdeep within our hearts; putting God first as the greatest obsession of our lives,trusting Him, and making Him the source of our security, satisfaction, fulfillment,protection, love, help and sustenance. It may take years of daily being exposedto Gods love to begin to even grasp the hem of the depth and greatness of thelove of God. Yet it is a journey that is worth every second. What we must do


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now is begin the journey by choosing to accept the truth of how powerless we arewithout him, and choosing to put our trust, and dependence on Him, relying onthe love, mercy and compassion that He has so freely demonstrated for usthrough the cross of Christ.

Questions for reflection:

What are the characteristics of someone who trusts God, even through difficulttimes?

Decision:

I will imitate the spiritual examples of the men and women in the Bible who put

their trust in God, in the situations I face on a daily basis.

Scripture memory:

1 Peter 5:6-77 Cast all your anxiety on him [God] because he cares for you. NIV Parenthesismine.

Practice:

I will meditate on the life of a person of the Bible that demonstrated an

unwavering faith in God, today.


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Our Foundation


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Chapter 4: The Trust of God

Day 12: The Foundation of the Christian Life

There has been much research done to discover the basic needs of humanbeings in the populated world. After much research a model was developeddescribing a hierarchy of human needs, which describe the four basic humanneeds in order of human necessity. The most basic and important of our needsbegins with physiological needs, such as: food, water, etc.; followed by safetyneeds, such as: shelter, clothing, security, etc.; then love and belonging needs,such as: family, romance, acceptance, etc.; and last, esteem needs, such as: selfworth, self-perspective, respect of and by others, etc. This model describes thehuman condition, and how these priorities will dictate how humans will respond tolife; generally sacrificing lesser needs in order to have their most important needs

fulfilled.

There is also a spiritual hierarchy of needs, one which determines thedevelopment and growth of the human spirit. At the foundation of all otherspiritual needs and the source of our spiritual growth, spiritual knowledge, godlyconviction and our pleasing of God is also that which is at the heart of everythingwe do and everything that we become in the spiritual realm; the only truefoundation which influences every area of our spiritual lives, namely, theunequivocal trust of God. Above all else, our trust in God will determine theoutcome of all else in our spiritual lives, all of our efforts at godliness and ourpursuits at holiness.

Trust is an integral part of our lives, especially because the center of our survivalon this planet depends on our relationships with other human beings. And, asmost of us have experienced, trust is essential in the building of relationships. Itonly makes sense that in creating us God has instilled the proclivity towardrelationships in our innermost being. God is a relationship, with Him, Jesus andthe Holy Spirit as the participants. God also created us with the purpose ofhaving a relationship with Him. We, by being made in his image, are inclined todevelop similar relationships with others and with God Himself. Consequently,since we are designed for relationships then we are subsequently wired to trust;either trust in God and/or trust in others.

The Attributes of a Life of Trusting God

As a building without a foundation is unstable, so our spiritual stability isdependent on our trust in God. The trust of God manifests itself in differentways, the greatest of which is faith. The trust of God and faith are so similar thatthey can almost be considered equal, because if we dont trust God, we will nothave faith in Him. Consequently, if we do not have faith in Him it will beimpossible to please him. As the Bible says:


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Heb 11:5-66 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes

to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seekhim. NIV

Our spiritual response to faith, such as: prayer, obedience, love, hope, servitude,etc. are also all fueled by an individuals trust in God:

2 Peter 1:5-85 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and togoodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control,perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherlykindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities inincreasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in

your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. NIV

Also, the source of all sin can be linked to our lack of trust in the Lord. As amatter of fact, when we sin, we choose to put our trust in another god, the god ofself and selfish gratification. By doing so, we choose to turn our backs on God,in out right rebellion:

Isa 59:12-1312 For our offenses are many in your sight,and our sins testify against us.Our offenses are ever with us,

and we acknowledge our iniquities:13 rebellion and treachery against the LORD,turning our backs on our GodNIV

To put our trust in anything else other than God is also the definition of idolatry.Therefore any trust or obedience to another god, in contravention to Godscommands makes us idolaters:

Jer 2:5-6They followed worthless idolsand became worthless themselves.

6 They did not ask, `Where is the LORD,who brought us up out of Egypt? NIV

Ultimately, our trust in God is what will determine our steadfast obedience. If wetrust we will obey wholeheartedly and He will make our righteousness complete:

Ps 37:5-65 Commit your way to the LORD;trust in him and he will do this:6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,


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the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. NIV

A relationship without trust is a relationship based on illusion. A relationship withGod, the mother of all relationships is based fully on our trust of Him. To say thatwe love God, but not trust Him, is a lie. It is a lie that God will expose in due timeto help us see the truth clearly, and so that we could put our trust fully in Him.God will determine if our level of trust for Him is adequate, by looking at our faith,our righteousness, and our undivided devotion to our loving and faithful God ofthis universe.


How can trusting in God improve our relationship with Him and with others?

Decision:

I will trust in God by relying on Him for the fulfillment, satisfaction, security,providence, protection, sustenance, etc. of my life.

Scripture Memory:

John 14:114:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me [Jesus].NIV Parenthesis mine.

Practice:I will trust in God for all of my needs today, by going to God first in prayer, andrelying on His direction for my life.


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Day 13: To Trust in God Means Acknowledging and Accepting the Truth

Ps 22:9-109 Yet you brought me out of the womb;you made me trust in youeven at my mother's breast.

What is the most interesting and mysterious ideas is that God wants us todepend on him for every need, no matter how high on the human hierarchy ofneeds, and no matter how desperately crucial they are to us. Like babies, Godwants us to depend on Him for everything, even our food, water, and shelter:

Matt 6:31-3231 So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or

`What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and yourheavenly Father knows that you need them. NIV

Gods has designed human existence with the caveat that only subordinate tohim will we experience prosperity, fulfillment and eternal salvation. In otherwords, God created us and designed our lives to only work right, work correctlyand be the most holistically healthy if we are completely and totally dependent onHim. Only with trust can we reach this level of dependence.

Yet, what does it mean to trust? A simple definition is to rely upon or placeconfidence in someone or something to meet our human needs. It follows that

the trust of God is to rely upon or place confidence in God for our every humanneed and desire, no matter how primitive or how high on the chain of humanneeds.

However, what we must awaken ourselves to is the fact that we rely on God forall of our needs whether we perceive it or not. We are spiritually bankruptwithout God, and no matter what imaginary world we create in our minds, thetruth is that all food, water, shelter, protection, employment, family, etc., that weneed and desire is under Gods control and we have it because God has deemedit His intention for us to receive it and therefore has allowed us to have it. He hasprovided all things in life for us and allowed all of life to transpire the way that He

has inclined to have it. As the Bible says:

Acts 17:2525 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because hehimself gives all men life and breath and everything else. NIV

Reflect on this for a moment: The only reason that we are alive to today is thatGod has allowed us to live another day. Someone that was here yesterday is nothere today, and someone here today, will not be here tomorrow. Who is to say itwill not be you? It is all determined by the whims and predilections of God.


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Therefore, whether we perceive it or not, we are dependent on God for everyaspect of our existence and every breath that we take. To trust in God is tohumbly accept and acknowledge the truth, especially in the deepest part of ourhearts: The truth that we alone are powerless and completely spiritually indigentand destitute; totally dependent on Gods mercy for our survival and subsistence.

To accept and acknowledge this truth is the mother of all convictions that willmotivate us to live a life fulfilling Gods will in all of its forms. He knows best,because he is God and we are nothing. As the Bible says:

Isa 40:1717 Before him all the nations are as nothing;they are regarded by him as worthless

and less than nothing. NIV

The trust of God humbly acknowledges that God is all-powerful, all knowing, allpresent, and is in total control of the entire universe. It also acknowledges thatwe are powerless in all areas of life and that we cannot live a life that isworthwhile without our dependence on our merciful and loving God. To trust Godis to acknowledge the truth. It is to have a deep conviction that the self-relianceand self-dependence of the world is a mockery and a deceptive belief againstwhat is right, because God is all, and we are nothing. As we are nothing, wehave life only in a symbiotic relationship with our Creator, if by His mercy Hewould accept us. With Him, we thrive, without Him we die.


What are situations or events in our life that remind us of our powerlessness ashuman beings and how desperate for God we really are?

Decision:

I will acknowledge and accept the truth of how powerless, destitute, anddesperate I am without God; and I will fully rely on God for my all my needs,every day of my life.

Scripture memory:

Ps 62:7-87 My salvation and my honor depend on God;he is my mighty rock, my refuge.8 Trust in him at all times, O people;pour out your hearts to him,for God is our refuge. NIV


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Practice:

I will pray and thank God today because I understand that only with Him can Iand my family survive; my life have meaning; and what I do be worthwhile.


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Day 14: Wholehearted Trust is the Only Acceptable Trust.

Prov 3:55 Trust in the LORD with all your heartand lean not on your own understanding; NIV

To trust in God is an all or nothing endeavor. We must devote ourselves to thewhole truth, with our whole hearts. If we do not, we will face the battle thatensues when other gods battle for a place of worship within our hearts.As Jesus says:

Luke 16:1313 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love theother, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. NIV

God will never share His throne with another master. He will never compete for aplace in our hearts because in reality He knows we desperately need Himwhether we accept it or not. For us to double-mindedly struggle over which godto follow in our lives at any particular day or moment in time is foolish and atemporary distraction from our acceptance of the truth.

Double-mindedness ensues when we waiver between our devotion to God andour desire to follow other gods. Yet, no matter how sincere it seems, to divideour devotion between God and something else is outright rebellion against God.For example, how would you like your spouse to waiver between his or her

affections and intimacy with you and having affections and or being intimate withsomeone else? The insidious nature of double-mindedness is revealed when weput ourselves in Gods big shoes. Yet, regardless of whether we accept it or not,scripture declares that God will not tolerate a divided heart:

James 4:8-98 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, yousinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. NIV

Rev 3:1515 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either

one or the other! NIV

To wholeheartedly trust in God is to put our life in Gods hands. It is to takewhatever we treasure and sacrifice on the altar of our faith. It is to let Godprovide our treasure, our satisfaction, our fulfillment, our sustenance, oursubsistence, our joy and our life. God demands pure, wholehearted trust in Him;and He will settle for nothing less. It is to renounce anything that will competewith our love and devotion to our God. It is to acknowledge God knows best andthat we will always put His advice over our own. It is to wholeheartedly make


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Him Lord, and Lord of all. As Jesus so aptly put it:

Matt 10:3939 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake willfind it. NIV


What are the gods that are currently competing with Gods lordship in your life?What are you going to do prevent them from interfering with your devotion toGod?

Decision:

I will wholeheartedly trust God and be wholeheartedly devoted to God, and showit by my actions.

Scripture memory

Prov 3:55 Trust in the LORD with all your heartand lean not on your own understanding; NIV

Practice:

I will show God that I trust and love him wholeheartedly by praying for andinvolving Him in everything that I do today.


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Day 15: To Trust in God is To Obey Him.

1 John 5:33 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are notburdensome,NIV

The ultimate proof of our trust in God is our steadfast obedience to Him. If wetrust in God, we show it by doing what He says. There are multitudes of opinionsthat I can follow, and what I do follow will define what I put my trust in. Forexample, If God says to be pure, and I am impure, I do not trust God but trustsomething or someone else that tells me it is best to be impure.

In these daily battles for our trust, it is important that we understand that God hasplaced the decision making power well within our control. As the Bible says:

Gen 4:6-77 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is

right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must masterit." NIV

1 Cor 10:1313 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God isfaithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when youare tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.NIV

Rom 8:13-1413 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirityou put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those whoare led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. NIV

With Gods help, I can stand up under any influence, because God has given methe power to overcome. Thus who I choose to trust and follow is up to me, whichsubsequently means that I will be held fully accountable for the decisions that Imake.

I cannot escape the fact that I have evil desire. Yet, I do have a choice to trustthe enticement driven by my evil desire, or Gods righteous and loving directionfor my life. The enticement could have come from Satan, my sinful nature, orfrom the world; yet what God is most interested in is: when the influences come,who am I going to trust, and who am I going to follow?

What is sad is that a good portion of the time we choose to trust everyone andeverything, except God, especially after knowing and acknowledging that Godhas given us everything, even giving his Son over to be sacrificed to redeem usfrom our worthless life of sin and destruction. God has created us and provided


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for our daily needs since our birth; God has nursed us when we were sick,protected us when we were in danger, strengthened us when we were weak andloves us every waking moment of every day of our entire lives. Yet we continueto trust the false enticement that come from the world, the flesh and Satan;enticements that promise much but deliver little. What we must do is toremember the love of God, so that we can think clearly and put our trust in theGod that the Bible continuously testifies has our best interest in mind:

Ps 57:1010 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;your faithfulness reaches to the skies. NIV

Ps 103:1111 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him; NIV

Rom 8:2828 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose. NIV

To trust in God is to obey our righteous, powerful, wise, mighty, glorious andloving God; the God who created us, and who knows what is best for us. To notobey, is to not trust God and to call God a liar, for we are declaring that He is notwhat He says He is in scripture:

Ex 34:6-76 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, thecompassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love andfaithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellionand sin. NIV

On the contrary, if we call ourselves Christians we should be fighting everywaking moment to put our trust in God and obey Him. For this reason, it makessense to read our Bibles often, especially because God has designed it to helpus to obey Him and to build up our faith in Him. As scripture says:

Josh 1:88 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day andnight, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will beprosperous and successful. NIV

Rom 10:1717 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message isheard through the

The Christian's Guide to a Godly Life 40 Day Devotional (Revised)

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