Author: mary

It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”

Hebrews 11:17-18

A Difficult Sacrifice

Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice is probably one of the greatest examples of human faith that we have in the Bible. The fact that Abraham was obedient and willing to sacrifice his son means that he lived for something greater than himself; he lived for God alone. Does this mean he did not love his son? By all means, no! Isaac was the son of the promise. He knew that if God wanted him to sacrifice Isaac, there was a reason. Just as Abraham raised his sword to sacrifice his beloved son, God stopped him and provided him with a ram for the sacrifice instead. God wanted to see the depths of his faith, but He was not going to let Abraham sacrifice Isaac.

God is not asking you to sacrifice those you love today, but He may be asking you to sacrifice bad relationships or perhaps material things that stand in the way of Him. Take some time to pray and ask Him how you can better serve Him by showing your faith.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
May my faith be greater everyday. Help me trust in you and show you how much faith I have in you. Amen.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Galatians 5: 22-23

Fruit of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit produces all that is good in our lives. Alone, we are sinful and stray away from the Lord. But with His help, we produce love for the world to see, a joy that affects others, a peace that is attractive to those around us, patience for others, kindness to those who need it most, all the goodness inside of us, faithfulness to those we love, gentleness when it’s hard, and a self-control to live in His Word. The beautiful part of this is that there is not a law against all of these things. We can never have too much fruit for the world to see! These fruits make Christiianity beautiful to others and lead them to the love of the Father.

Look at each of the fruits. Is there one that is harder than the others? Maybe you have a hard time with self-control. Maybe it’s gentleness in tough situations. Maybe you have a hard time keeping your promises and being faithful. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you with that area of your life today.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
May the fruit in my life be pleasing to you and attractive to others. May they see you when they see me. May my fruit draw them to you. Help me live like you would have me to live. Amen

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.

Isaiah 26: 3-4

Fix Your Thoughts

Part of trusting in the Lord is fixing your thoughts on Him. You can’t fully trust Him if you don’t continually focus on godly things and in Him alone. He brings about peace when we place our trust in Him. Is it because He protects us from bad things happening? This is not the case at all. He doesn’t promise that we will never experience heartache or pain, but that we will always experience His peace that passes all understanding as Philippians 4:7 tells us. We trust in Him because He is the eternal rock. Nothing shakes Him off His throne. Nothing scares or surprises Him. He is trustworthy in everything.

So fix your eyes on Him and His will. Know that when you set your mind on things above, He will bless you and bring you peace to endure. He is the friend that sits with you, walks with you through difficulties. He is the Father who watches over you and cares for you. He is the Savior who rescues you and restores you. He alone is trustworthy.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
You alone are trustworthy. You know what the future holds. You know my past and my struggles. You promise to fill me with your peace when I trust in you. Help me trust in you everyday! Amen

So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.

2 Peter 1:10

Work Hard

In this life, you have to work hard to accomplish anything, whether that is a career, education, or anything else. The Christian life is no different. You must work hard, investing in your knowledge and understanding of the Word, so that you can run this Christian race well! This verse says that if you run the race well, work hard to prove that you are called, then you will never fall away! Does this mean that the Christian faith is based on works? Absolutely not! Works grow out of a love for the Lord. If you are truly investing in your spiritual life, then your calling will be known to everyone around you.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Thank you for the promise that salvation is forever. May I always work hard in my faith so that others can come to know you. Amen.

The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

2 Peter 1:8-9

Growing in the Lord

When you are focusing on your spiritual growth and wanting to be more godly, then the more productive and useful you will be for the kingdom. It is like a tool. The more you use it, the more you will understand it. You will more than likely use it more often when you understand how it works. Godliness is the same way. The more you invest in your spiritual life, the more you will grow in the Lord. You will be productive and useful when focused on the kingdom.

If you are not focused on your spiritual growth, then the opposite can happen, as verse nine states. You will be shortsighted and blinded, forgetting what Christ has done for you. So spend time in the Word everyday so you will grow closer to the Lord!

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
You are worth every moment I spend in the Word. I long to spend time with you everyday. Give me the opportunities I need to grow in you. Amen.