Life Beyond Our Expectations

A daily devotional from Vision Christian Media's 'Word For Today'.


' 'Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think' ~Ephesians 3:20

If you only have a thimble-worth of capacity and you’re standing on the edge of a vast ocean, you have access to a lot of water but you won’t get much of it because your capacity is so small.

If you have the capacity of a bucket you’ll get more than a thimble, but once the bucket is full the ocean can do you no more good.

If you have a barrel you’ll get more than a bucket, but once the barrel is full you will still only have taken advantage of a minuscule part of the ocean.

The idea is to offer God the biggest container possible. Offer Him all of your (heart) so that He can accomplish what He wants to do in your life. And no matter how successful you may be, you still haven’t maximised all that God wants to do in you and through you.

Paul puts it this way: ‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.’ When you give your life to Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within you. That means if your life has been a (what some people may state as being a complete or partial) failure thus far, He can turn it into a success. And if your life has been successful thus far, He can take you to a higher level of success.

That’s why you should begin each morning by praying: ‘Lord, I make myself totally available to You this day; work through me to accomplish Your will.’ That’s a prayer God will answer.

(brackets are mine I have added)

Jesus, "You're the one true thing I have"

'The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged'  ~Deuteronomy 31 v 8.

I can hardly believe that as I post this blog, we are into a new year and already half way through the month of January. It feels surreal. Just last week, as I walked through the supermarket, I saw Easter eggs on the shelves!

Time just flies... it is eerily scary.

As I ponder what may lie before me in the year ahead, I am thankful that I do not know, for it would overwhelm me considerably... Our good Lord knows this. He asks that we take one day at a time, and not look too far ahead, but focus on Him and seek His strength, in the good times and the bad.



For Christ says to us in the book of 2 Corinthians 12 v 9:
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Purest Love

For unto you a Saviour is born; He is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11)

Long ago, one silent night, God revealed His glory bright.
His own mage came to man for salvation’s matchless plan.
Jesus, Saviour, Shepherd, King – Lord of all to you we bring.
Praises, wonder, thanks, and love For this gift from God above.  ~Daysprings cards

 What a beautiful concept to know and hold on tight to in our hearts! God’s love is at the heart of every Christmas. His love came down to us; he sent His Son to us, to walk this earth and show us another way to live our lives – a more righteous, most excellent way.

 It’s a scary thought when taking the step, but once you’ve stepped out, once you entrust your life to Him you’ll reap the riches of his love and blessings that he pours out. You’ll experience a peace that the Bible describes as that which ‘surpasses all understanding’ (Philippians 4:7).

 His love is unconditional, loyal, faithful, ceaseless, boundless, unending, unwavering. His grace for us we cannot outrun.

 We could never earn his heart nor His love; His gift, of His only Son, Jesus, is given freely without expectation of anything in return. That is what grace is. Our attempt of goodness falls far short of His. All our Lord God asks is that we seek to live our lives that are fruitful for Him, to surrender our hearts and accept HIS gift of salvation.

 



 

We Stand in Victory

• Jesus knows the devil is defeated.
• Satan knows that he is defeated.
• Some of us know that the devil is defeated.
• But the great victory comes when the devil knows, that you know, that he is defeated

 
v1. In Christ alone, my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the Love of Christ, I stand.


v3. There in the ground, his body lay
Light of the World, by darkness slain
Then bursting forth, in glorious day,
up from the grave he rose again!
And as he stands in victory, sin's curse
has lost its grip on me
For I am his, and he is mine
bought with the precious blood of Christ

(emphasis added).

Saviour King

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Saviour... 2 Samuel 2 v 2& 3



For your unconditional love, unending grace, abundant mercies, countless blessings and faithful fulfillment of your promises, we worship you xx

Divine Protection

A devotional from the 'Word For Today', September 13, 2015.

When the angel of death visited Egypt, only those whose doorposts were painted with lamb’s blood were protected from ‘the destroyer’. And the blood of Jesus [the Lamb of God] is still your best protection from the enemy who ‘…prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.’ (1 Peter 5:8 NLT).  Jesus' atoning death on the cross was to secure forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 2:12–16).

Christians have also been sealed with the Spirit of God (Ephesians 1:13), and our salvation is assured by the Lord (Romans 8:38–39). So when Satan confronts us he knows he cannot ultimately succeed... but he still wants to try and make us stumble. Generally speaking, he’s looking for an ‘easy mark’. Just like a thief who cases your house for a hole in your security, Satan be on the lookout for a weakness in your life. But if you ‘put on the whole armour of God, [you’ll] ...be able to stand against the schemes of the devil’ (Ephesians 6:11 ESV), and he’ll have to move on.

  Ephesians 6:13-18: ...Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 

God put a hedge around Gomer, the prophet Hosea’s wife, a promise that He would always draw her back to her husband. He said, ‘…I will fence her in with thornbushes. I will block her path with a wall to make her lose her way.’ (Hosea 2:6 NLT).

Before your family leaves home in the morning, remind them of Christ’s ultimate ‘hedge of protection’—His victory at the cross. Remind them to stand firm in the finished work of Jesus, wearing the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6:10–18). In prayer speak out His promises (Psalm 118:6, Psalm 27:1, James 4:7) and ask Him to safeguard you and your family throughout the day, directing all your paths away from wrong influences.'


     God is not out to ruin the supposed 'fun things' in life that the world tell us we miss out on if we don't join in, and we must be a part of. In fact God seeks to protects us from a whole lot of baggage, regret, hurt and consequences by providing His Word, the Bible as a 'guide to life'...and if we listen to the wisdom we read and follow it's advice, and seek to live a life that ignores everything that Satan throws in our face, life becomes filled with Him - a heart full of joy, a strength only He can give to face the uncertain and tragic times and the reward of spending eternity in Heaven when we die.

When We Don't Understand

A devotional from the 'Word For Today', September 15, 2015.

'When you don’t understand what’s happening in your life, start with what you know for sure; namely, that God is good all the time, and His ‘…love for those who respect Him continues forever…’ (Psalm 103:17 NCV)

He’s not fickle. He doesn’t bless you one day and curse you the next: His ‘mercies…are new every morning.’ (Lamentations 3:22–23 KJV). But there are things God chooses to reveal to us, and ‘secret things’ He doesn’t—for our own good. Writer Beth Jones says: ‘If God keeps a secret from us, it’s for our benefit and the benefit of others… For example, He doesn’t go around blaming, tattling or disclosing our sins, weaknesses, unbelief, carnality, selfishness or pride to others.

When things happen, God knows why… Secret things belong to the Lord. And when He reveals something to us, it’s because He wants us to walk in that truth by faith. For example, He reveals His character and His will in His Word… so we can live by faith knowing that He’s good, fair, kind, generous, merciful, faithful, gracious, patient, and He’s in the saving, healing, redeeming, restoring, sanctifying, and blessing business.

Things revealed belong to us. When we don’t know why… here’s what we know for sure. God’s Word is truer than our circumstances or experiences… and just because He knows everything about us doesn’t mean He tells us about everything. We also know that when things look bad, God is still good.’ ‘The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ (Job 1:21 ESV) No matter what happens or doesn’t happen, at the end of the day—God is still in control and worthy of our praise!'

sharegrace.org (Desperate Prayer)

  Faith is believing in that which is unseen and unknown; faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). We have faith in a wonderful God who sees all things and knows all things and reveals some things to us in His timing. Some things are best left untold and unknown, and He does just that for our benefit.

We just need to wait on Him and TRUST Him. It's not always easy, but worth it. Ask Him to help you, and He will.

~Leah